


Tangled Hearts

by kairi196



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Kingdom Hearts, Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2020-09-26 15:04:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20391649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kairi196/pseuds/kairi196
Summary: Deep inside, Rapunzel was excited about the adventure that seemed to lie ahead. After all, all her life she'd been eager to leave the tower and get to know the world. Except she was about to take on an adventure that would take her, not to just one, but to many, many worlds. (Post DDD and before Tangled. RikuxRapunzel, SoraxKairi) (Kingdom Hearts/Tangled/Harry Potter crossover) I haven't played KH3, sorry!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I began writing this like 4 years ago, so I like to think my writing is better now. Sorry for the typos, also my first language isn't English.

**Chapter One**

A starry night… Rapunzel had seen so many of those and not only had she enjoyed and admired them every single time, but had studied them and passionately kept track of the movement of the bright celestial bodies throughout the sky. Even the phases of the moon and different constellations were charted on the walls of the tower where she lived, and once every few nights, if she was lucky enough, she would add a new discovery.

That's how she could tell that this sky was completely different from the one she'd been used to for the past 17 years.

Pressing her eyes shut, the blonde grunted and took a hand to her throbbing head. The ground span and Rapunzel felt a wave of nausea kick in.

Was her mother still out? If only she were here maybe she could help her to her feet and walk her to her bed. Sadly that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Rapunzel's limbs felt numb and her aching back was leaning against something hard and cold. Her senses wouldn't stop buzzing.

Perhaps Pascal could do something to help her. It would be nice to have him for company now that she felt so woozy. He'd probably be taking a nap after devouring a whole basket of fruit. Too bad her voice refused to come out to call out to him. He was small, but he was capable of so much more than what his size suggested

She opened her eyes slowly, only to find a dark blurry image. The ground kept spinning.

Rapunzel told herself that once she felt better, she would prepare a delicious hazelnut soup. Yeah, that sounded nice. That would certainly make her feel better.

_'Oh gosh, how could I fall asleep here?'_

She blinked a couple of times in an attempt to clear her senses. Moving her arms little by little she gathered enough strength to push her back off the wall. However, the sudden movement sent the world spinning even more than before so she stopped for a moment to hold her head between her knees, hoping it would just stop already.

_'Ugh, did I fall from the rafters? Maybe it's something I ate'_

The sounds in the background gradually became clearer. Overcoming her dizziness and the weakness possessing her body, the blonde carefully came to her feet with the help of the wall, until she leaned against it. At first an awful wave of nausea kicked in, but she felt a small victory as the ground slowly returned to its natural state. She dusted off her dress as she usually would whenever she fell and, alarmed for a second, glanced at her long golden hair only to find it perfectly intact.

Nonetheless, there was one thing that even her foggy mind could tell for sure.

She was not in the tower anymore.

"Mother… Pascal…" Rapunzel turned around, frantically looking everywhere around her. Her stomach flipped and her heart pounded. Tears started to well up behind her eyes. Pressing them shut, she forced herself to remember anything from before she awakened. '_Okay, Rapunzel, you have to breathe. Breathe. That's right, breathe. Keep breathing. BREATHE. Okay, just **CALM. DOWN.**_'

In spite of her best efforts, worst-case scenarios rushed into her head. Was she kidnapped? And by who? Was it because of her hair? No, that couldn't be, she wasn't tied or anything and no one was around. But how had she gotten there? Where was Pascal? And her mother? Were they okay? What if something had happened to them? Drops rolled down her cheeks and her throat tightened. _'No time for that now, Rapunzel. You can't know that, you're just being silly. M-mother knows how the world works and Pascal- and Pascal… he- he can hide! Right! He can hide. It's useless to worry now. I'm sure they're fine. Yes, of course they are! Think, just- think. You have to remember something. Anything.'_

She thought so hard it gave her a headache. But then it hit her.

_Shadows._

Pushing her emotions aside, she scanned her surroundings and found herself standing in a dark alley. Not that she could be certain, since she'd never been to one. A pair of old wooden boxes and a wooden wall blocking one end, while the other led to a more promising destiny where the light wasn't dim at all. Without hesitation, the young woman headed in that direction.

The light blinded her for a moment and she used her hand to shield her eyes until they adjusted. When they finally did, she gasped.

A wide esplanade lay just ahead, only a short downward flight of stairs away. To the right of it were some tables with chairs and small candles on them. A rustic and comfy restaurant. Big bright signs and colorful doors were scattered here and there, inviting costumers to nice-looking shops. Next to the stairs was a mail post with a large hat.

"Wow…" Walking forward, she whispered to herself as she glimpsed a colossal set of double-doors that looked like the main entrance. The whole place was so simple, yet breathtaking, with a warm, peaceful and quiet aura to it. Was she dreaming? Rapunzel knew she wasn't but suddenly everything seemed so surreal.

A tiny, tiny voice inside her spoke. It desperately begged her to go and explore every inch and every corner of the entire site. To go to the restaurant and try every single dish, to visit every single shop and buy things she doesn't really need, to talk to every single person in the place… It desperately asked her to take the chance.

_The chance?_

Then she snapped out of her thoughts and realization hit her. She was out of her tower.

Out. Of. The. Tower.

Guilt stirred inside her. How could she be thinking of that in a moment such as this? For all she knew Pascal and her mother could be in danger, and there she was, thinking of taking a tour.

Nonetheless, the blonde decided she would need as much help as she could get if she wanted answers, guidance, or anything! She could start by finding out the name of this kingdom. This had to be the one she'd been admiring from afar, right? Where else could she be? The only kingdom she'd ever known existed had to be this one.

And then a dark thought crossed her mind. It had only been a few hours right? Had it been days? No, of course not, now she was just being silly again.

The extravagant signs read 'Items', 'Jewerly' and 'Accessories.' She had to find her mother. She would be so worried. She resolved to enter the Accessories Shop.

She opened one of the doors and it creaked ever so slightly. "Hello?" She called hesitatingly, as she silently closed it behind her. The interior of the shop was neat and warm. To the left of the room, there was a wide window and a large green counter, whereas to her right a couple logs burned at a stone fireplace. There was an empty crystal displayer at the center of the room, which reflected the soft, orange glow of the fire. Rapunzel could stare at it for hours. Behind it, a ladder hung from the ceiling and in the far corner to the left were some comfy-looking couches and another large empty displayer attached to the wall. The blonde couldn't help but wonder why no merchandise was to be seen. New shop, perhaps?

Excitement rushed within her and she tried to hold it back. This was the first shop she'd ever seen. AND IT WAS A NEW ONE. How amazing was that?

"Comin'!" A male raspy voice replied from above. Rapunzel was a bit startled at first, but shrugged it off and allowed her eyes to keep wandering around the place. She was reminded of the situation she was in and her excitement was replaced with worry. It would be best if she found a way to keep calm. Surely Pascal and her mother would be fine.

Right?

Not long after, a man started coming down the ladder slowly, carrying a large pile of boxes with a bandaged arm. He stopped halfway down, whispering a curse, as he began struggling. Rapunzel placed herself right next to the ladder without a second thought. "That looks heavy. Can I help?"

"Ha!" He snorted, without glancing down. "You think ol' Cid can't handle this? Then you… know nothin'… about me…" Judging by the tense look of his body and the guttural noises he had apparently meant as words, it was obvious the man was in trouble.

Climbing to the green counter, Rapunzel threw one of her long strands of hair to the box at the top of the pile, tying it to the ladder as she did so.

"Wha-what you doin', lady?!" The man stammered, although Rapunzel couldn't tell if it was out of shock for what she just did with her hair or if it had anything to do with his pride. Probably both. "Just keep- going… down…!" The blonde grunted as she pulled her hair with all her might, barely lifting the top box, so that she could take enough weight from his injured arm and allow him to peacefully go down the rest of the steps. Unfortunately, the box was way heavier than she had expected.

"I-I can't-! My foot's stuck!" The man ranted. "Damn! Ma' arm!" He hissed. It didn't look like he would resist much longer. "Just... hold on…!" Rapunzel insisted, not as loudly as she would've liked, since she didn't think wasting her breath would be too convenient. If she lowered the box more than a few inches, she knew he wouldn't be able to maintain his balance due to the sudden weight of the box being on his arm again.

Suddenly, her feet started to give in too. Rapunzel tried to step back, but it was pointless. Her feet kept sliding bit by bit, until it was too late. She pressed her eyes shut, preparing for whatever happened next…

"_Drift!_"

In the blink of an eye, all the weight that she'd been struggling with was gone. She waited for the loud sound of boxes falling, the man crying out of pain, but nothing happened. The blonde popped her eyes open, only to find herself hovering inside a magnetic sphere that delicately landed her on the floor and then disappeared. Mouth wide open, Rapunzel observed from her position that Cid and all the boxes had landed gracefully (and safely) as well. "Wha- How-?"

"Magic." A deep, velvety voice responded from behind, before its owner helped her off the ground, his grip firm but gentle. Their eyes exchanged looks for a second. He seemed about her age, maybe a bit older, at least 4 inches taller than her. His build was muscular, short silver hair and bangs falling right above his aquamarine eyes. Rapunzel thought for a brief moment that she was staring at one of those tropical seas she'd read the description of in one of her books back at the tower. This had to be the color she'd never been truly able to imagine.

Still not letting her go, the corner of his lip turned up. The young man blinked twice, finally letting go of the girl, as Cid emitted one of his guttural sounds. "Cid, are you all right?" Their savior inquired, as he hurried to the man's side. Rapunzel followed his lead.

"Riku! O' course I am! I ain't hurt. No more than ma' pride, anyway." Cid replied with a cocky grin, as Riku helped him to his feet. "I looked for you everywhere in Radiant Garden, but Leon and Yuffie told me you were here" Riku commented, letting him go.

Cid shook his head. "A friend o' mine told me he'd many clients here, so I thought why the hell not? Only while ma' arm recovers. But I guess we've both seen how that turned out." He explained and turned to Rapunzel, before Riku could say another word. "Wait, I still have a customer. What can ol' Cid do for ya, lady?"

Rapunzel lumbered close to him, her eyes full of guilt. "Are you sure you're okay, sir? It's my fault, I'm so sorry" She lowered her gaze, as the blond man grinned sympathetically.

"Hey, Blondie, it was ma' fault" He laughed dryly. "It's thanks to you and that… hair of yours that I'm fine." His gaze discretely followed the trail of hair behind her, although he seemed to dismiss the thought almost immediately. He'd given up understanding women many years ago. "And you can call me Cid" He winked. "So, what can I do for ya?"

The young woman inhaled. "What… _kingdom_ are we in?" Cid narrowed his eyes and Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Kingdom? Uh, you're in, uh, Traverse Town." Cid responded. "Is that…all?"

"No! It's just that… I don't know how I… ended up here." She sighed "I was with my best friend in my…" She paused briefly to choose her words. "_Home_ and suddenly- Look, this may sound crazy and all but all I can remember is everything being covered up by… _shadows_." She almost whispered that last word in frustration, acknowledging how weird she might sound. "And I don't know if my mother's okay, or where my friend is." Fighting her tears from coming out again, she looked up only to find Cid studying her with understanding eyes, while there was something deadly serious about the way Riku examined her. Both of them exchanged a nod.

"What's your name again, Blondie?" Cid asked. "I'm Rapunzel." The confused girl stated, alternating her gaze from one man to the other.

"Where are you from, Rapunzel?" Riku stepped forward, speaking in an almost solemn voice.

"Kingdom of Corona" She mumbled.

The silverette crossed his arms and shut his eyes. '_So it is true._ _Worlds are still being lost to darkness…_' He thought bitterly to himself. He would have to report the name of such kingdom ('_world_' would be the right term) to master Yen Sid. As a Keyblade Master, it was his duty to look out for the well-being of the worlds, and that especially meant to keep the balance between light and darkness, which absolutely didn't include worlds being lost to the latter.

"Can you tell me anything else about these shadows? It's extremely important."

"I… I'm sorry. That's all I got." A painful expression spread across Rapunzel's face, as she fervently wished to remember with clarity the unfolding of such events. But no matter how hard she tried, everything was a blur. Only then, Riku's features softened.

"C'mon! You gotta help 'er, man." Cid slapped lightly Riku's back, but he shook his head. "I can't. I'm on a mission." Even if his face said otherwise, the silverette's heart flinched. He _wanted_ to help. He knew how difficult it had been to Kairi and Sora to lose their world. _Their home_. Even if he didn't feel it at the time and came to feel it much later. Nonetheless, Yen Sid wouldn't be happy if he found out that a mission strictly related to the universal well-being had been postponed just because the new Keyblade Master chose to help one girl that reminded him of one of his own old wounds. His new duty demanded a level of responsibility that wasn't always compatible with individual good.

Cid shot a glare to Riku. "Look, I know why you're here, dude. I ain't installin' a single gummi block for you, 'til you agree to take Blondie here with you."

As if that made things any easier.

"Cid," He gave him a patient look "you have to understand. It isn't because I don't want to help, it's because it's dange-"

A terrifying scream came from outside and both of the entrance doors flew open. Rapunzel gasped at what lied beneath.

Four shadowy creatures desperately approached the three people in the room. Riku summoned a sword-like weapon out of thin air and in a matter of seconds the small intruders were gone with three slashes of his blade. Cid stepped up next to him once it was over.

"Heartless? What are they doin' here?" It wasn't hard for Rapunzel to notice the tone of worry in his voice.

"I don't know" Riku turned to Cid. "I have to talk to Yen Sid. This changes everything".

"Watch out!" Rapunzel yelled just in time for another Heartless to be gone with a quick strike of Riku's blade. But it wasn't the only one. Soon many others started to flood the room.

"Where are they comin' from?!" Cid complained, as he managed to vanish two of them with one strong kick.

"They aren't even fighting back, they just keep dodging. It's like they're trying to-" Riku's eyes widened, before he glanced briefly at the girl standing now at the bottom of the room. Cid followed his gaze and needn't more explanations.

They were after her heart.

Five minutes later, there were no Heartless left. Rapunzel approached her two protectors, holding her hair in case they all needed to run. She was speechless.

"Soon there'll be more." Riku said, not tired at all after the small battle. He locked his eyes with Cid's. "We have to get out of here and-"

"Take this, man." Cid threw a small elastic piece that came from his pocket and landed in Riku's hands. "It's my baby you got there, so listen to me. You gotta go to a world named Montressor. There's a guy there who owes me a favor. He'll install that gummi block for you if you tell him I sent ya'. It'll provide improved armor, increased acceleration and greater firepower." He looked briefly at Rapunzel before returning his gaze to Riku. "It'll also show you the way to unexplored worlds. I'll take care of things around 'ere".

"You sure you'll be alright?" Riku inquired not forgetting about the man's injured arm.

"Who do you think I am, kiddo? 'sides someone has to stay and do some research. I'll get Leon and the others to come. We'll be fine" Cid pretended to hit his jaw with his fist.

"Very well then." The silverette examined the piece in his hands. "What's the name of the guy in Montressor?"

"His name's Jim Hawkins. You'll know when you see him"

"Jim Hawkins. Got it. Thanks, man." Riku nodded, before turning to face the blonde, who had been trying to listen as much as she could before making any questions. "Rapunzel, there's no time to explain right now, but those shadows that you saw before are called Heartless. I don't know why they're after you, but if you come with me maybe we can find out what happened to your home and your friends. I promise to explain more once we're safe"

Everything was so confusing. It's not like she had a choice, anyway. What else was she supposed to do? If she tried finding someone else, she might get attacked by those Heartless again in the process and she definitely had noticed that they were especially after her. What could she have possibly done to deserve that much attention from those terrible creatures? Besides Riku and Cid seemed to be telling the truth. They had even protected her. This could be her only chance to actually get some help.

"Okay." She sighed before turning to Cid. "Thank you for everything" She offered him a smile. "And sorry about before" She shrugged, still feeling a bit guilty.

"Hey, don't even mention it, Blondie. I should be thanking ya'. Maybe those boxes were too heavy after all" He chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head. "I hope you find your mother and your friend. Good luck!"

"Thanks" With one last grin, Rapunzel followed the aquamarine-eyed young man to the exit of the shop.

"Huh… you know, that's the first time I actually see headstrong Cid admitting that something's too heavy for him. You must have made quite the impression" Riku confessed, trying to make the mood lighter, as he followed the way to the gummi ship.

"Really? He seems quite nice and easygoing" Rapunzel replied kindly.

"He's a nice guy, I give you that much." Riku inspected the surroundings, but everything seemed to be clear, at least for now. "C'mon, we've gotta hurry"

Rapunzel nodded and followed his pace, not holding her hair anymore. Riku tried to keep a reasonable speed. After all, he did not know how fast she could run, especially with a hair that long… So far, it didn't seem like she was having any trouble following him.

Deep inside, Rapunzel was excited about the adventure that seemed to lie ahead. After all, all her life she'd been eager to leave the tower and get to know the world.

Except she was about to take on an adventure that would take her, not just one, but to many, many worlds.


	2. Chapter 2

Rapunzel found herself speechless when she finally got to see what a gummi ship was.

Her eyes were glued to the large dark silver machine that lied just in front of her. It wasn't very tall, but it was quite wide, with one wing on each side. On its top, there was a thick glass ample cabin with enough space for 3 or 4 people. Did he travel with company often?

Certainly no books had prepared Rapunzel for what she was admiring in that moment. It was impossible for her not to wonder of all the places seen by the gummi ship and all the adventures it might have been a part of.

Yet, it was more exciting to think about all the places it had still yet to explore.

"This is fantastic" She mumbled, hesitant to touch it.

Riku half-smiled. "Wait 'til you see what's inside." Placing his hand on a small screen, the gate turned into a lowering ramp. Riku jumped nimbly into the ship and offered Rapunzel a hand. Pushing her nerves aside, she took it, suspense increasing by the second. But once she was onboard, she didn't even try to contain her excitement anymore.

"Oh my gosh!" She giggled, her eyes scattered everywhere. Unlike the homogeneous color and design of the exterior of the ship, its interior was quite colorful and lively. There were yellow, red, green and blue small blinking lights spread out the white walls, along with square and round buttons, levers, screens and switches of the same colors. A few beeps, clicks and other pleasant metallic sounds added to the inviting and adventurous atmosphere of the cockpit.

"Look at this! What are all these buttons for?" Even if she was extremely curious at that moment, she didn't touch anything, as she tried to be respectful of Riku's property. Besides she had no idea of what could happen if she pressed on anything. Although, she gladly gave herself permission to examine and study closely everything within her sight range. Except for the owner of the gummi ship, of course.

"It's complicated" Riku let out a soft chuckle as he typed something on the digital keyboard of the control panel. He'd clearly done it a thousand times before.

"Can you turn it on?" Her request came out with childish excitement.

"I'm on it, just take a seat." He smiled back and after entering the last word, Riku fastened her seat-belt once she'd sat down and checked it twice. He took his own place at the pilot seat, while his fingers danced smoothly over the control panel buttons in an order that they seemed to know all too well. After he was done, he reached out to the lever that separated the pilot and copilot seats, but his hand paused right in the middle of what seemed like a part of his usual routine.

"Ready?" He looked at her, a flash of doubt vanishing from his eyes after his companion nodded in reassurance. He would have to take that as the most trustworthy sign available from her at the moment.

"Ok" He muttered under his breath as his grip tightened around the lever. "Hang on" As those last words escaped from his lips, he pulled it down.

In that very moment, the rattle of the engine made itself known to both passengers. Each of them with different reasons for being nervous. Without warning, the gummi ship gracefully lifted off the ground, as if gravity didn't apply to it anymore. Riku caught a glimpse of Rapunzel biting her lower lip. But it was too late now for her to change her mind. Riku flipped one switch, and with that, the hyperdrive was initiated.

For less than a second, time came to a full stop. Then the nose of the ship pointed upward and suddenly Traverse Town was left far away.

* * *

Still holding his breath, Riku turned his body to face the copilot, knowing she was completely new to all the sensations related to space traveling. She stared wide eyed at the viewport, hair a bit messy and lips parted, but no sound coming out of them.

"You okay?" He did his best to keep his voice from shaking.

She slowly turned her head to stare back at him. For a second Riku was reminded of those stupid horror movies Sora had forced him to watch years ago, in which a girl with long black hair would always murder everyone in ways that he found ridiculous. Riku came to the conclusion that this must be the closest he would be to experience what those poor characters felt.

"That… was… AWESOME!" She burst into a laughter full of joy and amazement. Taking that as an implicit permission to breathe, Riku exhaled, his muscles and shoulders visibly relaxing as he did so.

'_Well, that didn't go so bad_' He thought. "You know, for a moment I thought I would have to cast a healing spell on you or something" He said, half-joking, still releasing whatever tension may have remained in him from Rapunzel's previous expression.

"You're kidding, right? It must be amazing to experience this all the time. I would never get tired of it. Or the view, look at all those stars! Ohmygosh They're so close! It's as if I can just reach out and touch them! And- and I can't believe these are _OTHER WORLDS_! I mean- _WOW_! There's just so much to see! If only Pascal was-" She stopped in the middle of the sentence, the corners of her lips fell, barely leaving sign of the previous bright smile that had been on her pink lips just moments ago. Silence filled the air.

Riku remained quiet and pretended to focus on piloting the gummi ship. He could perfectly relate to what she was going through and knew that as a Keyblade Master, he would do everything in his power to prevent the darkness from separating families and friends ever again. And, much to his heart's content, he was already working on it. Still, he felt the uncomfortable urge to take her sadness away in that very moment and put that jolly smile back on her face again, even if only for a brief period of time. But there was one little problem: he didn't have the slightest clue of how.

_'Guess I'll just have to follow my heart on this one.' _He concluded to himself.

"Who's Pascal?" He asked softly, after a minute or two of silence.

"Hm?" She answered, caught off guard.

"Is he… your friend?" Riku continued.

Rapunzel stared at him silently for a few moments, as if trying to figure him out, then sighed. "Pascal's my best friend. He's the one I was telling you and Cid about earlier. The one I was hanging out with when… you know."

"What's he like?" Riku asked with genuine interest.

The blonde grinned half-heartedly, not replying right away. "He's funny and very playful. Loyal too. He's always there to cheer me up if I ever need it. We do all kinds of things together... Ever since we met we've been like partners in crime" She chuckled lightly. "I can't even imagine my life without him."

Deep within himself, Riku felt a strange but pleasant sensation of victory at the sound of her chuckles. "Ha, funny. He sounds just exactly like someone I know."

"Is that someone a friend of yours?" Rapunzel inquired, turning her body in his direction to fully face him, even though he couldn't face her back because the gummi ship needed someone to pilot it.

"Yeah. He's also my best friend" He answered, not really having expected her to be curious about him as well.

"Do you guys visit together other worlds?"

"Not very often, especially not lately, but sometimes." His lips pressed just a little after he finished that sentence. He'd never really given it much thought to how much he missed spending time with his friends. Certainly things had gotten more and more complicated ever since he had become a Keyblade Master and now he had other responsibilities. Just as his friends did too. At least Sora and Kairi did spend more time together since Sora was helping her in her training. He smirked to himself at the thought.

"There's a chance you'll get to meet him. As long as he hasn't been sent on a mission by Yen Sid"

"Yen Sid? Are we going to meet him and your friend in Montressor?"

He shook his head. "They're somewhere else, but I gotta talk to Yen Sid first"

"Who's Yen Sid?" Rapunzel adjusted in her seat and made herself even more comfortable.

"He is a sorcerer. A very wise one. He works to keep the balance between light and darkness. He'll help us decipher why the Heartless are after you and what happened to your world" Riku responded. After all he had promised to answer her questions once they were safe. There were no enemies nearby, so-

The gummi ship shuddered with a mighty energy blast.

A hushed curse left Riku's lips before he rapidly started flipping some toggle switches on the dashboard. Of course, it should have occurred to him there would be Heartless especially interested in them along the way.

Rapunzel held on tightly to the armrests of the chair, as her heart raced like a prancing horse. "Riku, w-what's going on?"

"We're under attack." Riku kept typing incessantly in the screen and soon the speed increased dramatically. Rapunzel had trouble keeping her balance. "Hang on!" Riku exclaimed as he dodged the attacks as smoothly as possible and attempted to activate the shields of the gummi ship at the same time.

Another energy blast.

Rapunzel flinched "C-can I help?"

"That's the radar and every dot is a ship. Tell me how many there are"

Rapunzel followed his instructions right away and took a closer look. "Sixteen"

Riku frowned. This was not going to be easy. He made the gummi ship spiral downward.

Rapunzel held on as strongly as she could, trying not to completely lose sight of the screen in front of her and ignoring the fact that her pounding heart would escape from her ribcage at any second. "Shields have- have been activated and are at one hundred percent" She read out loud once the ship came the closest it would in such circumstances to what one could call a steady course.

"Good" Riku felt a brief surge of relief among the chaos. "Let me know if you see any changes"

"Um…"

The relief left as quickly as it came.

"There's a white button that won't stop beeping and blinking. What do I do?"

"Push it"

Rapunzel obeyed once again only to reveal an incoming transmission.

"Hey, Riku!" The enthusiastic face of a boy with spiky, gravity-defying hazel brown hair appeared on a side screen. Rapunzel was startled. "Whoa, and who are you?" He pointed at her.

"Not a good time, Sora" Rapunzel picked up on a mix of mild stress and seriousness in Riku's voice.

"Ok, just listen. Yen Sid asked for you to come. One world is frozen in time, others are being lost to darkness again and-"

_Boom!_

"SHIELDS ARE AT 75 PERCENT" A flat and mechanic voice spoke.

"What?! Riku, are you in trouble? Where are you heading to?" Sora exclaimed, over the blaze and roar of the gummi ship's guns

"Montressor" He growled, still keeping the focus necessary for maneuvering and shooting at the same time.

Rapunzel hadn't wanted to interrupt the conversation so far, but this time she looked away from the screen. "I thought you said-"

"There's no time now. We need to get rid of the Heartless and for that we've gotta find somewhere safe"

_Clash!_

"SHIELDS ARE AT 55 PERCENT"

Sora gasped. "Just hang in there, Riku! I'll see you in Montressor!"

"Sora, wait! Don't-!" Before Riku could even finish, the transmission was already over. The silverette sighed in frustration.

"So I assume that must be your best friend…" Rapunzel raised an eyebrow, the slightest clue of a grin in her lips.

"So it is that obvious, huh?"

Two more energy blasts hit the gummi ship. Three. A noise that wasn't there before started coming from the engine.

"SHIELDS ARE AT 33 PERCENT"

"Riku, there are more ships coming!" Rapunzel's voice was shaking.

"We're almost there, I promise." He tried his best to reassure her and help her keep calm, although he wasn't lying.

"There are five more." She gulped. "But they're coming from a star nearby"

Soon more cannons were fired. Rapunzel cringed at the sound and at the sudden movements of the gummi ship that followed after, but found herself catching her breath when several seconds later nothing made any kind of violent contact with the shields. She glanced at Riku, who was still fully concentrated, and immediately proceeded to inspect the radar only to find what seemed to be the most marvelous surprise to her at the moment.

The new five ships were defending them.

"Rapunzel…" Riku said, heavy breathing, as they glimpsed a planet in the near distance with a seemingly crescent moon orbiting it.

"Welcome to Montressor."


	3. Chapter 3

There was one thing Rapunzel was completely certain about: Montressor's port had to be the most crowded place she would ever see in her life.

A wide variety of ships and sailboats glided gracefully across the heights as they peacefully zigzagged their way through the architecture, complimenting the sunny sky overhead. Bustle, chatter and all kinds of smells filled the warm air as otherworldly creatures of all colors and sizes incessantly exchanged and carried around large boxes, heavy sacks, barrels and full two-wheeled wooden carts from one site to the other. A group of teary creatures wished luck to their sailor friends, while many others ran excitedly to what looked like long-awaited reunions.

Rapunzel thought it was miraculous that they didn't bump into each other, as if there was some sort of confusing but harmonic choreography she couldn't quite figure out. Most of the citizens seemed to come from a distant universe that the green-eyed girl would dare to dream of only in her deepest sleep. Almost all of them had more than four arms, an oversized body part, beaks for mouths or several tentacles for legs.

Nonetheless, Riku didn't seem to be half as surprised as she was.

But he was twice as alert.

"Stay close" Was all he would say, as he led their way through the diverse crowd. Rapunzel hugged her hair tightly, eyes wide, a short trail of gold slowly following her lead. Luckily for her, Montressor's habitants had seen far more impressive things than a lengthy golden hair, so they barely paid attention to them.

Riku came to a full stop, making a paranoid and distracted Rapunzel bump into his back.

"Sorry" She shrugged with a sheepish smile. He gave her a discreet grin, before shielding his eyes with his hand and turning to glance at his surroundings.

"Wait here" Spotting something, Riku gave her a small nod and directed himself to what looked like a green man with snail-like eyes in the distance. Rapunzel let out a short breath and let her eyes wander around the place, paranoia slowly melting away, the fact that very few minded their presence helping her to be at ease.

"Relax, Rapunzel. No ruffians or thugs so far." She sighed. "That's a relief…"

"Why? You got something to hide, bright-eyes?"

Pursing her lips with a quick turn on her heels, she looked frantically for the owner of the voice. But no one was there.

He chuckled. "Up here".

Her eyes darted up to the sky only to meet those of a brown-haired young lad, silently hovering a few feet over her with the help of a slender coppery board with a small sail attached to it and a propeller in one of its ends. Pushing the idea of danger to the back of her mind, Rapunzel found it hard to unglue her eyes from the unknown device.

"What? You wanna come?" He smirked, snapping the girl out of her thoughts.

"N-no, thanks. I'm waiting for someone" She crossed her arms tighter and pretended to look somewhere else, hoping he would lose interest and leave. He huffed humorously.

"That's too bad, because if you wanna live, you're gonna have to come with me".

Before the taken aback girl had a chance to reply, the stranger kicked the pedal below his foot, placing himself right in front of her before nimbly yanking her arm.

Suddenly her surroundings went blurry and the chatter that filled the place was replaced with the sound of the wind echoing wildly in her ears.

The drowning feeling that took over her lungs brought her back to reality. Only then she noticed she had forgotten to breathe.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOIIING?! PUT- PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!" Rapunzel screamed at the top of her lungs, her arms tightly gripped around her kidnapper in a desperate attempt to hold for dear life, as they darted through the air.

"Sorry, can't do that!" He replied, slightly annoyed at the volume of her voice in his ears, as he maneuvered skillfully through the buildings and the floating ships of the port in spite of the many angry protests that could be heard in the distance. He didn't seem affected by the girl's firm grip in the slightest way.

Rapunzel wanted to yell at him and demand to be put down. She knew she would've kicked him had she been able to forget the imminent threat of a 80ft fall, but no sound came out of her pallid lips when the board took a 360 degree turn in order to dodge two minor ships in their way.

Glancing back at the irritated -but safe- passengers, she felt an ephemeral relief. They barked unintelligible sounds that Rapunzel was certain were meant to be words, but was too shaken to try to make them out.

"I've been called worse by better!" Her young kidnapper shouted back, before letting out a laugh. Unlike the blonde, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Rapunzel gathered the courage and the breath to speak up. She would not die in the hands of a careless boy and certainly not when she was finally out of her tower. "Look, you ruffian! If you don't put me down this instant, I'm going to-"

Squeezing her eyes shut, a sharp stir of the board made her swallow her words as a sparkling laser missed them just by inches. Luckily it also missed her hair.

She glanced back, only to feel blood draining from her face as she glimpsed two ships that looked very similar to the one that had brought her to that world.

Except these didn't seem to have friendly intentions.

"Whatever you did, please just LET ME GO!" Opposite to her words, the strength of her grip on the young lad increased.

He scoffed ironically. "Wait, you seriously think they're after _ME_?! Just-" Shaking his head after successfully dodging a couple of lasers, he tossed her a small metallic card with a smooth screen. She barely caught it, hardly lifting her arm from his body. She gasped.

It showed the image of only minutes ago, when she had just arrived to Montressor's port, Riku having been somehow left out of the picture. Unreadable signs served as frame, except for one word: "_Reward_".

"Every pirate on a range of one moon has it."

As if sensing the lump that his words had caused in Rapunzel's throat, he continued almost immediately.

"Relax, I'm no bounty hunter pirate. But I thought you could use some help"

"B-but, what do they want with me?!" Had they found out about her secret? But how?!

"You tell me!" He exclaimed, hiding the sail with one movement of his foot and ducking in order to fit into a narrow ventilation duct, the deafening sound of metal clashing against metal thundering as they made their way across it. The sunlight waiting for them in the other side.

"We made it! We're alive! We're alive!" Rapunzel celebrated once the metallic sounds were replaced by the pleasant gust of the wind once again, for a brief moment letting go of the no-bounty-hunter.

"Yeah, I wouldn't throw a party yet"

"What?" Rapunzel muttered under her breath, not resisting the urge of glancing back once again.

A bigger ship came from behind a building, a massive blaster charging, the menace of an even deadlier laser coming their way. The cold look in the eyes of the stranger she so tightly held on to, letting Rapunzel know this time it would be harder for it to miss its target.

The sound of a triggered blaster filled the air. Rapunzel glimpsed two more lasers coming their way. If she jumped right in that second, she calculated that she could safely land in a small passing ship a couple of meters below them. Her instincts desperately begging her to do so, the bitter threat that the last sound she would ever listen to, would be that of the lethal and inevitable impact.

Yes, the blonde could do it before the savage (but now useless) maneuvers she knew would follow soon began. She could do it. She had enough time to save herself. She SHOULD do it.

She pushed her former kidnapper off the board instead.

And, indeed, an impact was what she heard.

"_Rapunzel!_"

Her ears rang, not noticing the echo of the wind anymore. Her vision darkened, as she gave into nothingness, the numb sensation of falling endlessly taking over her.

Then everything went black.

#

Riku laid back his head as he let out an exasperated breath, trying to keep his calm and his patience intact. Of course, as a Keyblade master these were qualities that he was very familiarized with, but he had been in very few situations similar to this one before and he'd never been good at them either.

Especially when there was nothing left to do, but waiting.

"Hey, relax. She's going to be fine. That girl's tougher than she looks like, you know?" He paced across the room only to lean against the wall. "At least I know I won't be forgetting that anytime soon" He rolled his eyes at the memory, taking a sip of a glass of water.

"It's been nearly six hours. I've used every single healing magic I know, and still she hasn't awaken. It was a stupid mistake leaving her alone-"

"Whoa- Wait, wait, wait. Is that guilt I'm hearing? You do know that if it weren't for you, her body would be just a bunch of ashes right now, right?" He sat on the couch across to his. "And so would mine."

"If it weren't for me she also wouldn't happen to be in a coma." Riku huffed humorlessly. "It's thanks to you that she's still breathing."

"Yeah, she and I are pretty much even on that one." He laid the back of his head on the wall as well, one corner of the silverette's lips rising slightly in response.

"True" Riku replied, before both of them fell silent for a few minutes.

"So, uh, how'd that happen anyway?" The boy in front of Riku asked, pointing towards the room where Rapunzel lied unconscious and back to him. Riku's eyebrows furrowed somewhat in suspicion.

"C'mon, you owe me an explanation. I already gave you mine"

"Why would you even hack into pirate networks, Jim?" Riku inquired, pushing his back off the couch.

"I'm always willing to check out for interesting stuff" Jim shrugged. "Here's the result".

Riku chuckled weakly, his face relaxing. "Alright." He sighed. "I needed Cid to install the gummi block I gave you. I heard he was back in Traverse Town and there she was. The usual story of a world lost to darkness." He looked down.

"World lost to darkness? So I wasn't imagining it, then. I was hoping something else was going on out there." Jim stated "What did Cid say?"

"Well, we're still trying to figure out the details" Riku stared blankly at the floor. "But I need her to wake up first" He closed his eyes, letting his back fall down on the couch again.

"Hey, you're so depressing, stop beating yourself so much. Besides I got good news for you."

The silverette opened his eyelids, not moving from his comfortable position.

"I thought it'd take me longer, but I think I'll be done with the gummi ship by tomorrow morning." Jim smirked, trying to light up the mood.

"Tomorrow morning? Didn't you say it would take you two days?"

"Let's just say it's my thank-you note to your brave friend" The brown-haired boy grinned, pocketing his hands, sinking further in the couch.

Silence fell over once again, only to be interrupted by the light steps of a middle-age brunette, her presence alone causing the two young men to stand up in a rush. She looked tired, but relaxed.

"How is she?" Riku inquired taking one step, his heart pounding at the sight of the woman.

"She's fine, dear. She's awake now" The woman smiled, her words taking a burden of Riku's chest.

"Told you" Jim punched lightly Riku's back. The Keyblade master eyed him briefly, his whole body visibly relaxing.

"Thank you for everything, Mrs. Hawkins." He turned to her, his voice somewhat solemn. "Can I talk to her?"

"Please, just call me Sarah. And of course" She grinned kindly, before turning to Jim, her expression changing drastically. "James, you and I have to talk"

"Ugh, not this again" He rolled his eyes, taking a palm to his forehead.

* * *

Rapunzel lay on the bed, her head resting comfortably on a soft pillow. The windows displayed a surreal and colorful flower field that the girl would have been eager to explore if Sarah Hawkins had not showed her they were only binds.

Two knocks came from behind on the wooden door.

"Rapunzel? May I come in?"

"Riku? Is that you?" She asked, her voice eager but weaker than usual. "Come in"

He opened the door slightly, peeping an eye before fully stepping into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Hey there" Riku grinned, his voice matching the softness of hers, before taking a seat in a chair next to the bed. "How are you feeling, pirate girl?"

"I'm okay, I guess" She whispered with a playful grin in her lips that soon vanished. "What happened to the boy I was with?"

"Really? That's what you're worried about?" Riku glanced down, letting out an incredulous chuckle, before facing her again. "You saved his life. His mother is the one that took care of you. They run this inn" He motioned at the room.

"I'm sorry, Riku." Her voice trembled, full of anguish. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Now it'll take us longer to find Jim Hawkins" Rapunzel frowned.

Riku let out an authentic laugh for the first time since he had begun this quest, confusing the blonde a bit. "You're in for a good surprise, but hey, I am the one that should be apologizing. In fact that's one of the reasons I wanted to see you, you know. I'm sorry I left you alone"

Rapunzel blinked twice. No one had ever apologized to her before. She smiled back. "It's not your fault."

"Maybe not, but I know whose fault it is" A new voice answered.

The former kidnapper of the blonde stood less than a meter away from them, leaning his back on the now open door, as he took a bite of a green apple.

"I-it's you!" She muttered.

"I don't think we've been introduced properly." He walked in her direction, offering her his free hand. "Jim Hawkins"

Mouth wide open, Rapunzel slowly sat on the bed, Riku helping her a bit in the process, as she shook Jim's hand absent-mindedly "You… are Jim Hawkins?"

"At your service" He nodded, his mouth still full, before bowing curtly.

"Surprise" Riku whispered huskily to her ear, sending a pleasant shiver down her spine.

"B-but how? I remember listening to an explosion and then…"

"And then this guy right here saved us both" Jim stabbed his thumb to the side, pointing at Riku, before pocketing his hand. "He even stole a solar surfer for you, that's how he got there so fast and then he healed us both but you wouldn't wake up, so he spent the next two hours casting healing magic on you and refusing to leave your side." He raised an eyebrow teasingly, only to be hit with Riku's elbow. "Ouch!"

Rapunzel turned her gaze to the silverette and back to Jim. "Thank you both". She smiled in a way that lit up the whole room, or so both of the young lads thought.

"Don't mention it" Jim scratched the back of his head. "Hey, you guys are hungry? There's a delicious dinner downstairs."

_BOOM!_

Blood drained from his face, he turned to the door before he darted out of the room. "Mom!"

Riku called after him, but only the hurried steps of the boy could be heard. He turned his gaze to Rapunzel. "Can you walk?"

The blonde was already trying to stand by herself. "I think so"

"Come on" Riku took her arm and placed it around his neck. "Let's go".


	4. Chapter 4

The sensation of running out of time echoed in Riku's fluttering heart, as he helped his companion descend the steps with a careful but steady pace; a very deep part of him happy about the fact that he hadn't found out what was causing him such uneasiness just yet.

Unfortunately for him, as soon as they reached the inn's lounge he had the answer.

Dust and ash danced all over the hot and suffocated room, hiding everything from their visual range, except for a bright and disturbing orange glow that painted the wooden walls. The previous pleasant rustic air lost in the thick smoke, as several silhouettes bustled and stampeded across the room in order to retrieve precious belongings, find lost relatives or exit the building.

Still, both world travelers were not ready to give up their search for the brown-haired lad yet.

"Jim!" Riku called out, just to be echoed by Rapunzel, their voices drown by the sudden outburst of a deafening fire alarm.

"We have to get outta here!" Riku shortened the distance between his lips and Rapunzel's ear.

"But what about Jim and Sarah?" She covered her nose and mouth with the sleeve of her dress, almost coughing her words, making Riku stop to quickly value their options. There was nothing he could do from there.

"I can put the fire out from outside. We're gonna have to crawl our way to the ex- " Riku stated determinately, only to be interrupted by a second explosion behind his back, dispelling the remaining crowd and spreading them apart over the floor. The clamorous alarm stopped.

"Rapunzel!" Riku yelled, struggling to fully open his eyes in the poisonous air, using his elbows to get back on his feet.

"Riku!" A strained voice replied.

"Wher-" His voice was cut out by a thick blade that was violently inserted in the wooden floor, missing his body by inches.

Rolling once on the floor before staggering to his feet, he summoned his Keyblade in a split second only to block a second attack just in time. The owner of the blade, a bulky silhouette, made its presence known behind the almost corporeal barrier of black smoke as it slashed savagely aiming at the boy's thorax.

The Keyblade master blocked and dodged several slashes, not fully unleashing his attacking abilities in order to avoid unnecessary agitation, using most of his movements to protect himself. That battle wouldn't last long. Not when the air was less breathable with each passing second and he couldn't even make out the face of his opponent. In order to survive, he'd have to find Rapunzel and exit the place as soon as possible. His breathing was already starting to get heavy as his lungs longed for the oxygen that he knew could only be found low in the ground.

But if he wanted to live, staying low in the ground was no viable option.

"Can't you see this is insane?! We'll both die here!" Riku grunted, his throat burning, screaming in protest with every word he spoke. The Keyblade flashed in short deadly arcs, desperation slowly starting to take over him as the silent attacker got in his way every time he attempted to escape from the fight.

Whoever he was, the man was there to kill him.

"WHERE'S THE GIRL?" The bulky silhouette demanded hoarsely, heaviness audible in his voice, as he charged at him with the blade upheld. Riku dodged the strike, taking advantage of the moment to inflict damage and leave a cut in one of his legs. The man let out an outraged shriek, retaliating with faster and far more aggressive slashes that were successfully dodged or blocked by the silverette. Potions were not an option as they all had gone to an unconscious Rapunzel and considering the circumstances, it would be best to save his magic to heal himself and not to attack.

Still, Riku knew his body wouldn't last much longer.

"What do you want with her?!" Riku ignored the scorching demand of his respiratory system for fresh air, his veins popping slightly, while his clothes started to blacken, as if he'd fallen into a cart with coal.

Anger flared at the raspy laughter that came in response. The man took out a blaster.

"It's over!" A voice enunciated, followed by ray of light casted over the attacker. The corpulent opponent hit the ground instantly. He was not going to wake up anytime soon.

"Sora!" Riku sprinted towards his best friend, only to make out a shadow beside him examining the unconscious man from afar.

"Stupid bonzabeast head. I bet he's the one to blame for this mess"

"Jim!" Riku stopped once that he was next to them, coughing violently as his Keyblade dispelled in his hand, his knees not strong enough to keep him to his feet anymore. Luckily for him, Jim caught him before he met the ground.

"Riku! Quick, drink this!" Taking rapidly a crystal bottle with a green liquid from one of his pockets, Sora made the silverette drink its content.

Relief took over the Keyblade master's body, taking with it the flames he felt in his throat and returning his body part of its strength.

"We have to find Rapunzel" Riku breathed.

"What?! Isn't she with you?" Jim exclaimed "I still can't find my mother".

#

Rapunzel crawled as fast as she could, holding her hair close so that it wouldn't get stuck with unseen furniture. The sound of clashing blades caught her by surprise and Riku was nowhere to be seen. Was that him fighting? If so, she had to do something.

"Help!"

A distant but urgent cry called out. Looking around, Rapunzel saw that no one seemed to be there to attend to it, except for her.

"H-help! P-p-please!"

The deep despair and affliction clearly audible in the shrill plea, made Rapunzel forget about everything else. It was the kind of terrifying sound that could give you nightmares for a lifetime.

It called out again. It was familiar.

The heat increased along with the smoke as Rapunzel, determined as ever, made her way towards another room, following the voice, though it didn't call out again. A doorframe could be seen.

There was no turning back now.

"Wake up! Lady? Lady, please!" A different voice could be heard at the distance, as Rapunzel made out two figures in the ground amidst the black clouds.

The entire kitchen was ablaze. The dark smoke was thicker, while red massive flames danced wildly, devouring everything in their way, throwing currents of scorching air that reeked of burning chemicals, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

"Hey!" The green-eyed girl shouted, getting the attention of one of the figures.

"Don't come any closer! It's dangerous!" The slender figure pleaded, before letting out a yelp as part of the ceiling crumbled apart, falling dangerously close to the two silhouettes.

Rapunzel threw away the wise advice.

She crawled until she was in front of them. The voice that warned from coming closer belonged to a girl with auburn hair that lightly touched her shoulders. Her watery cerulean eyes contrasted with her flushed skin, while her soft features were toughened by concern. The other figure was…

"Sarah! No, no, no!" Rapunzel examined her up close, gaping holes in her dress revealed raw red flesh, the skin having long since been seared off by the extreme heat. She was motionless.

Rapunzel covered her mouth, eyes red.

"She's still breathing and I can help her, but we can't stay here" The redhead stated firmly, placing her hand on Rapunzel's shoulder.

Biting back tears, the blonde nodded.

Each girl yanked one of Sarah's arms and pulled her unconscious body with all their might as they crawled their way out of the scathed room that was once called "the kitchen"; the loud cracks of the wood being consumed reminding them sinisterly of the little time they had to escape from a terrible fate.

The cracks became inconveniently more and more frequent, making both of their hearts hammer in fear, especially those that came from above their heads. The exit was nowhere to be seen and the fact that the fire had considerably spread, along with Sarah's weight, was making them take much longer.

They carefully glanced upward occasionally in order to avoid the areas where the structure looked weaker, ignoring the increasing pain in her knees and elbows. So far, it had spared them a burn or two.

But it wasn't enough.

Without warning, a piece of ceiling gave in, aiming to both of the girls. However, the redhead placed herself sideways in front of their small group, managing to stop Rapunzel just in time.

The burned wood landed violently before the blue-eyed girl, sending splinters, dust and hot ash flying. An agony shriek escaped from her dehydrated lips.

Before Rapunzel could reach out to her, the injured girl summoned a long weapon that vaguely resembled Riku's and pointed it to the threatening flames in front of her.

"Blizzard!"

With that word, a frozen current flowed out of the flower-decorated blade and extinguished the consuming fire before her. Rapunzel's limbs desperately begging to be bathed in the icy cold. A second later, the weapon was gone.

Rapunzel pushed aside her surprise.

"Are you okay?" The blonde squeaked as she reached out to her, only to find the exposed red flesh in the redhead's left arm and shoulder, blood dripping over the ash-covered floor.

The redhead stared at it, clenching her empty fists and fiercely biting her lower lip, her face revealing the searing, torturing pain she was in.

There was no way she would be able to crawl now, leave out drag someone else's body. She looked like she would pass out any second now.

Rapunzel knew what she had to do.

Wrapping her hair around the girl's injury and Sarah's body, she took a hurried breath.

"What are you doing?" The auburn-haired girl hissed and winced out of pain, but didn't take her arm back. Probably because moving it would only cause her more pain. Rapunzel continued as if she had said nothing at all.

"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine… " Eyes closed, she whispered, the hints of a haunting melody barely discernable in her muttering. Golden light illuminated the top of her head and cascaded down her hair.

"…Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine…" The redhead witnessed the surreal occurrence; eyes squinted, as light-headedness took over her. She must be hallucinating. But it was a peaceful and pleasant hallucination.

"…Heal what has been hurt… Change the fate's design… Save what has been lost…" The cerulean-eyed girl weakly followed the luminous golden trail, as the light slowly took over her arm, spreading a numb sensation with it, and soon it reached Sarah's injuries. She closed her eyelids, ready to drift away as if she was listening to a lullaby.

But that didn't happen.

"…Bring back what once was mine… What once was… mine."

With the last word the golden light slowly disappeared, leaving a revitalized sensation in the girl's body, as if she had just woken up from a nap. The searing pain had completely dissipated and it felt as if oxygen had found its way into her lungs, even though that was not possible. Dizziness gone, she eagerly removed the golden hair from her arm. Her eyes popped open.

The burn was gone. It was as if it had never been there in the first place.

A series of coughs snapped her back to reality.

"Sarah!" Rapunzel helped the woman, followed by a very confused redhead, to a sitting position. The holes in her dress now revealed healthy skin.

"Where's Jim?" The woman whimpered as she scanned the burned surroundings, worry visibly starting to take over her.

"I don't know, but we'll find him" Rapunzel tilted her head and offered her a reassuring smile, ignoring the matter-of-fact voice in the back of her mind that reminded her that she truly did not know where the boy was.

"Yeah, he'll be alright" The auburn-haired girl grinned knowingly.

"Kairi? Is that you? Kairi!"

"Sora! Over here!" The redhead yelled with her renewed strength to answer the voice that came from behind the pile of burned wood.

"You brought Kairi with you?! I told you to take care of her!"

"Get out of my way"

"Jim?" Sarah mumbled, her eyes suddenly filled with hope.

"Step back!"

The three ladies moved themselves backwards, Sarah making sure the other two were right behind her.

The wood shattered with a loud blast.

"Aero!" Kairi shouted, her weapon in her hand once again, sending splinters away from their faces as she did so.

Three silhouettes stood among the ashes and the smoke, though they seemed perfectly unaffected by it.

"Mom?!" One silhouette printed towards them, straight to Sarah.

"Jim!" The woman threw her arms around him, tears filling her eyes. "I thought I would lose you".

"Not a chance" The boy replied smugly, although Rapunzel thought she heard a feeble sniff.

She turned her head only to find herself filled with relief at the sight of Riku. He ran and kneeled beside her.

"Take this" He offered her a metallic inhaler, only to be tossed to Kairi afterwards. It replenished her lungs with oxygen. The initials J.H. were engraved on its side.

"Let's get out of here"


	5. Chapter 5

"I would give you a nasty look but I see you already have one" Jim took a huge bite of an apple, as a robot with a blue uniform handcuffed the bulky creature that attacked them before.

"Yeah keep rolling your eyes, you may find a brain back there" The brown-haired boy glared at him, slowly making his way back to his mother. Sarah seemed to be holding a very serious conversation with two police officers that carefully registered every word she spoke. Her face was wet in tears. Jim placed himself next to her, putting a hand in her back to provide support

However, an argument took place not too far from where they were.

"Why would you even bring her?! It's dangerous!" Riku ranted at Sora, who just stared at the ground like a scolded child.

"Hey, thanks a lot for the vote of confidence" Kairi feigned to be offended as placed her hands on her hips, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips.

"You know I don't mean it that way, Kairi." His tone softened a bit. "But still you haven't trained enough. Something could've happened to you"

"I don't recall that you had any training before taking off to new worlds, huh? Besides, you guys shouldn't be the only ones getting hurt, so don't tell me to stay behind"

"She's right, Riku. Kairi's just as strong as you or me" Sora met his gaze, nodding confidently.

Riku shifted his gaze between his two best friends. Stubborn as ever. This is exactly what they did with the raft. They formed an alliance against him so they could win every argument. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, which surprised his friends. Honestly, he was just happy to see them.

"All right. You win. Just promise to be more careful; both of you. Kairi's still in training and so are you, Sora" The silverette smirked.

"W-what? I'm not in training!" Sora punched Riku lightly in the arm, making the three of them burst in laughter. Rapunzel repressed her giggles, somewhat fascinated at the view. It was the first time she saw a group of friends interacting.

"Oh, by the way, this is Rapunzel" Riku placed his hand momentarily behind the blonde's back.

"It's nice to meet you" She greeted cheerfully.

"Hey, Rapunzel. I'm Sora" The spiky-haired lad grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"And I'm Kairi. It's a pleasure to meet you" The redhead beamed, offering the blonde her hand, only to be taken aback as it was taken by someone else.

"Well, _hello_, Kairi. The name's Jim" The brown-haired man held her hand gracefully, offering her a confident lopsided grin.

"Hi to you too, Jim" She chuckled, retrieving her hand as he let it go. Riku noticed that Sora furrowed his eyebrows slightly. He laughed to himself.

"So what's gonna happen to the inn?" Riku asked with genuine interest.

"The insurance will cover up for everything" He shrugged "We'll just have to stay with a friend for a week. Luckily for you my workshop did not end up in such a mess, so I can still fix your ship in a day or two. Is it okay if I give it to you in Radiant Garden? I'm gonna meet Cid there in two days".

"Sure. Thanks man" Riku grinned, lightly meeting the boy's fist with his own.

"Guys, I have to know. How did you find us? It was nearly impossible to see anything back there" Kairi said.

Sora confidently opened his mouth to answer, only to have his words stolen by Jim.

"This friend right here led us to you" He smiled, pointing to the ring in his ear.

"What… friend?" Rapunzel squinted her eyes.

"_What friend! What friend!_" Suddenly the ring turned into a smiling floating pink blob, with two popping eyes. It attempted to mimic Rapunzel's voice.

"Whoa!" Both girls jumped back, gasping in unison.

"His name's Morph" Jim enunciated, as the pink Blob floated playfully around Rapunzel's neck, tickling her as it did so. Riku huffed with a slight grin.

"You're so cute!" She chuckled, before the little fellow returned to Jim's side.

"Yeah! And we saw this brilliant light and it turned out it was you girls!" Sora exclaimed excitedly. "By the way, what was that?"

"Oh, that's right! I'd completely forgotten. You're not going to believe this! I got this huge burn in my arm and Sarah was unconscious -"

"Whoa, you got nothing! What happened?" Sora stared at her in utter surprise. Jim took a step forward.

"Yeah, what happened?"

Sora gave him a short glance, before fully returning his attention to Kairi.

"Ugh, I don't even want to think of the pain, but I can't thank Rapunzel enough for-" Kairi stopped herself midsentence when she glimpsed the blonde desperately mouthing "_N-O_", eyes wide open as she shook her head from side to side, although it was barely noticeable.

"Thank her enough for… what?" Riku raised an eyebrow, encouraging her to continue.

"F-for…" For a moment she seemed to have lost her train of thought, before returning to her usual self. "For holding Sarah for me" She grinned, making eye contact with the boys. "I used the spell Donald and Sora taught me to heal and I also healed myself. That's what caused the light"

"What? You made a huge burn disappear and brought someone back to consciousness with just the healing spell we taught you? It's just the first level…" He stared at her in utter disbelief, making a nervous Kairi smile for a little longer. Then his expression changed in one second. "You're amazing! Way to go, Kairi! See? This is what I'm talking about, Riku" Sora high-fived Kairi, before discreetly glaring at the festive congratulations that followed from Jim.

"Yeah, I see now" Riku replied absent-mindedly, staring at Kairi for several moments before shifting his gaze to Rapunzel. Something was off.

Sora walked over to him to snap him out of his thoughts. "So who's Rapunzel, huh?" He glanced at the blonde that now was engaged in an apparently funny conversation with Jim and Kairi.

He did not reply right away. "She lost her world to darkness and for some reason the Heartless are after her" Riku finally met his gaze "She's the reason Yen Sid wants to see me. One of them"

"Heartless?! I thought they were gone for good... He did sound worried, though. But… Heartless? Again?" Sora crossed his arms.

"I guess we'll find out soon what's going on" Riku shrugged, crossing his arms as well.

Jim and the girls walked in their direction.

"Well guys, I hate to do this, especially when there's such lovely company" He glanced over at Rapunzel and Kairi, making both of the girls giggle, his gaze staying with the redhead longer enough for his gesture to be noticed. "But I gotta go now" He faced the two lads, pocketing his hands. "There's lots of work to do" He sighed. "So, thank you for everything and, uh, see you guys soon" He turned around waving at Rapunzel and winking at Kairi, before walking away.

"He is quite friendly, isn't he?" Kairi commented. Rapunzel agreed with a nod and a chuckle.

"Yeah… we should probably get going as well" Sora gave one last glance to Jim.

"Agreed. Let's not keep Yen Sid waiting" Riku nodded and with that last statement, the small group started moving. Montressor's port was not too far away.

"Rapunzel! You're gonna love my gummi ship!" Sora cheerfully placed both of his hands behind his head, walking backwards momentarily to face the girl, as he led the way to the vehicle he knew all too well.

"It's way better than Riku's" He pointed sideways with his thumb, his voice noticeably louder, mirth washing all over his face. Kairi repressed a chortle.

"You're right, Sora" The silverette replied coolly, making everyone blink in surprise and bringing his fellow Keyblade-wielder to an abrupt stop.

"As long as I'm behind the wheel since we both know that what really matters is the pilot, not the ship. Don't worry, Sora. I'll take care of the Highwind on our way to the Mysterious Tower" A sly smile crossed Riku's face as he walked past Sora.

"H-hey!"

"Besides," He continued "Rapunzel already witnessed my advanced pilot skills, unlike yours. Right, Rapunzel?" His perfect smirk remained in place.

The poor blonde was taken aback. "I-I'm s-sure that both of you must be excelle-"

"That's because she hasn't seen anyone else pilot a gummi ship!" Sora caught up to Riku, completely oblivious to the voice of the blonde. "But I'll fix that. I'm gonna show her better! And I bet Rapunzel was terrified with you piloting the ship, but she was just being nice. Right, Rapunzel?"

"I-I really think-"

Riku let out a dry laugh. "_Terrified_? At least with me, not just Rapunzel, but no one in the ship has to worry about getting swallowed up by some mutant whale"

Sora's jaw dropped childishly in annoyance. Kairi couldn't even try to repress her laughter this time, causing Sora's cheeks to turn a bright shade of red. "W-why won't you just let that go? I already told you it was an accident. And it was pretty much Donald's fault! Besides I bet Rapunzel wants to see me piloting and not you!"

Rapunzel's mouth remained open, words somehow not finding their way out. A giggle came from beside her.

"They're always like that. Don't mind them" Kairi rolled her eyes, amusement visible in her face. "I would usually be the peacekeeper, but it's been a while since I've gotten to see them like this" She laughed.

The chatter of the male Keybearers became distant as they both walked ahead, leaving the two girls following their lead several steps behind.

Rapunzel turned her face to the redhead, giving up on listening to their argument, even though she could still listen to her name being mentioned a few times. "So, you guys are pretty close, huh?"

"Hehe, yeah. They're my two best friends. We've had many adventures since we were little and they've helped me through a lot. I just hope I can protect them back and help them out too"

"It sounds like a really strong friendship" The blonde smiled.

"Yes, it is" Kairi nodded, her features lighting up at the thought. Still, it didn't last long. She quickly eyed Riku and Sora. They were still too busy with their childishly competitive argument. Even if they were out of earshot, Kairi lowered her voice. "Rapunzel, can I ask you something?"

The blonde nodded. She could sense where the conversation was going.

Kairi sighed. "Why didn't you want me to tell them about your hair and how you healed me?"

Yes, just as she had expected. Rapunzel closed her eyes for a moment, before absent-mindedly looking at the ground. Kairi averted her gaze. It clearly was a sensitive topic for her.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Kairi gave her a reassuring smile and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"It's not that, I just… I can't take any risks. It's too dangerous and…- I mean, I know Riku saved me and Sora seems really nice and trust-worthy, but… I just can't. Not unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm really sorry, Kairi. I feel like a despicable human being for hiding the truth and for making you lie for me, but please, you can't tell anyone." Rapunzel grimaced.

"You don't have to worry about that. That secret is not mine to tell. It will be safe with me. I promise." Kairi nodded.

Rapunzel met her gaze, smiling in relief. "Thank you, Kairi"

"What? Thank _you_! It's the least I can do after what you did for me. But I do have one more question… wouldn't it be easier for you to protect your hair if it were shorter?"

Rapunzel shook her head. "If it's cut it loses its power, so…"

"Oh I see…" Kairi glanced at the endless trail of gold that followed after her. "I know someone that would be more than glad to help you to make it easier to carry around" She cheered.

The colorful gummi ship was finally visible at the distance.

"-fine. I'll race ya. First one to get to the gummi ship gets to pilot it to the Mysterious Tower. If I win, uh… I'm better pilot than you and you have to do something I dare you to"

"_Yeah, right_. I don't think so, Sora. This is childi-"

"And if you win… you get to borrow my special gummi block whenever you want"

Riku's interest was piqued.

"You're _that _confident, huh?"

Sora smiled knowingly. "Kairi, Rapunzel! Will you be the judges of our race?"

"Okay!" Kairi waved before turning to Rapunzel. "Come on!"

They sprinted towards the boys that were already in racing positions. Each girl stood next to a racer.

"Ready?" At the sound of Kairi's voice both Keyblade-wielders seemed to tense, determination etched in their faces.

"Go!" Rapunzel pulled her raised arm down, both racers dashing towards their goal as soon as the word escaped from her lips.

A fond look washed over Kairi's eyes as her friends became more distant with every passing moment. The race was pretty even. She took a deep breath. "Some things just won't change, you know?"

Rapunzel let out a chuckle. "Who do you think will win?"

"I dunno. It doesn't matter" She shrugged.

"It doesn't matter? Why?" Rapunzel's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Because it's my turn to pilot the gummi ship" Kairi smiled proudly.

#

The trip to the Mysterious Tower went on without many surprises. At least nothing compared to those they found back in Montressor.

Rapunzel enjoyed herself while Kairi taught her the basics of what a copilot usually does. She proved to be a fast learner.

But unlike them, the boys didn't spend their travel time so comfortably.

Riku's eyes occasionally widened a bit whenever Kairi got too distracted with her new apprentice. Meanwhile, Sora pretended to look relaxed, although his white knuckles and tapping feet revealed his true emotional state, especially whenever Kairi decided to take sharp turns.

Relief washed over Riku and Sora once they finally made it to their destination. Rapunzel expressed how quickly the trip had passed, with her learning so much and all. Riku and Sora pretended to understand her disappointment.

Kairi and Sora disembarked easily, followed by Riku who offered a hand to an inexperienced Rapunzel in her way down.

"I think I'm getting the hang of it" She shrugged, laughing softly.

"Yeah, I think you are" He smiled back.

Her grin slowly faded away, before she looked at the green countryside and at the massive crooked tower that lay ahead, its roof a large blue cone-shaped turret decorated with stars and moons, adding to the surrealistic and eerie aura of the place. The tower was framed with countless stars that gleamed in the cloudless dark sky.

"This place… has a strange feel to it" Rapunzel shivered, noticing it had to be the smallest world they had ever visited (and that she'd probably ever will), unnerved by the fact that a lonely and small piece of floating land contained only an enigmatic tower. Her uneasiness was mixed with the vague memories it brought her of her own not-so-enigmatic home.

"I know exactly what you mean. But don't worry. This place is safer than Traverse Town and Montressor. I can assure you that" He gave her hand a light squeeze, and only then she noticed that none of them had attempted to let the other go. Not that she wanted to, especially because that small gesture somehow made her feel more secure.

"It's just… I feel like I've been here before…"

"Hm. How come?" Riku's eyes narrowed in thought.

She averted her gaze from the tower after a few seconds. "I know, it's silly. That's just impossible, never mind." She took a brief breath, disregarding her thoughts. Still, Riku found himself unable to do the same.

"Let's go with the others" She suggested. Riku saved his thoughts for later, before walking side by side with Rapunzel as he led her through the green pastureland towards the entrance of the tower.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is a chapter a bit longer than the others and I'm sorry for the lack of action. I suggest that you play Magical Mystery from Kingdom Hearts 2 OST, until the line break. I hope you enjoy!

I pushed the heavy wooden doors open, only to be greeted by the imposing upward-spiraling staircase that I've come to know very well. Rapunzel stepped back, so subtly I barely perceived it. This place really must unsettle her.

My eyes scanned the room for Heartless, out of habit anyway, considering that Sora and Kairi were already half-way to Master Yen Sid's study.

"Hey, what's taking you so long?" Sora shouted, waving at both of us.

"We're coming!" I yelled back, before looking at them disappear into the spiraling distance, along with their indistinct chatter. I turned to Rapunzel, who studied the staircase carefully, hiding her lips. She seemed oblivious to everything else. Why did this place have such an unsettling effect on her?

I guess she noticed my stare, because she suddenly got out of her trance and broke the silence.

"Let's go" She nodded and we both made our way through the endless flight of stairs. Keeping in mind our unexpected encounter with the Heartless in Traverse Town, my senses remained alert. I was not going to be caught up by surprise. Ever again. Neither of us spoke along the way.

Eventually, we reached the bright portal that led to the study. Before entering, I shot my companion a sideways glance. Her eyes were unreadable.

"Yen Sid is in the other side." I told her as gently as I could, motioning to the glowing portal. She didn't respond, but determination seemed to be building behind her eyes, so I decided to give her time until she was ready. Her delicate voice caught me off guard.

"Riku… can I ask you something?"

"Sure" I responded, not really sure of what to expect. She bit her lower lip and nervously played with a strand of her hair hair, not meeting my eyes. I bit back a smile.

"Can we… can we cross together? W-would that be okay with you?" She spilled out her words.

A faint grin found its way into my lips, before I held out my arm to her. Relief seemed to cross her eyes, before her hands gently grasped my arm.

We exchanged a look before stepping through the portal and appearing in Yen Sid's study.

Everything remained unchanged: A tidy and wide room with plenty of dusty books that were contained in several shelves, and the same large four windows with the shapes of a moon and stars. Yen Sid waited for us, sitting behind his wooden desk as usual, Kairi and Sora standing in front of it. Their gazes turned to us, as we entered the room.

"Hello, Master Yen Sid" I said firmly, as Rapunzel stood next to me, hesitantly releasing my arm.

"Keyblade Master Riku, it is good to see you again. And you… You must be Rapunzel. I've been waiting for you." I sensed Rapunzel's puzzlement and imagined the questions that formed in her mind. Master Yen Sid stood up, hands regally folded behind his back. "Now that all of you are here, I'm afraid the stars bring me grave news."

Definitely not the way I would have liked this conversation to start.

"Worlds are falling to darkness. Once again. And as I am sure you have seen in your journey, Riku, the Heartless are attempting to take over the hearts of the worlds that are still vulnerable".

"Vulnerable?" Sora inquired, only to have Master Yen Sid lift his hand, asking him to wait.

"I sense a change in the forces of darkness. As you must remember, to defend the seven pure lights of the divided χ-blade, we need seven lights strong enough to withstand the thirteen darknesses. But Master Xehanort has come up with a plan to conveniently ensure his victory."

His words made me wince inwardly. However a part of me wasn't surprised at all. As if deep down I had already been expecting something of that nature. After all, I knew the ways of Xehanort's twisted mind.

And another part of me was afraid that perhaps I knew them too well.

"The light is nearly twice as powerful as the darkness. Which is why the thirteen darknesses almost double the number of lights. Master Xehanort's plan consists on strengthening the darkness by breaking the balance between it and its' opposite" Yen Sid continued.

"But… how?" Kairi murmured.

"Through fear. Something a good friend of mine was very aware of years ago" He sighed heavily, a glint of dark sorrow crossing his penetrating eyes. "Fear has misled many potential Keyblade Masters. Very promising and gifted ones. And now Xehanort is using fear to corrupt as many hearts as he can to empower the darkness, thus breaking the balance. However, this time I'm afraid he is collaborating with someone. A very dark being. One completely devoid of light"

"Wha- Who is it?" Sora clenched his fists.

"There are some things even the stars cannot tell me. Nevertheless, I do know that it is with the assistance of this dark presence that he has been sending Heartless, not only to those worlds that are most prone to give into despair and fear, but also to those whose light shines brightly, for they represent the most dangerous threat in the successful development of his plan".

"What about Traverse Town?" I stepped closer.

"As you know, Traverse Town only appears when someone is in need of shelter. It consists of the remnants of worlds whose hearts have been stolen by the Heartless. Since Xehanort is attempting to consume the worlds until they completely fall into darkness, it is a matter of time before Traverse Town naturally becomes the perfect place to induce fear into the hearts of those fortunate enough to survive such destruction."

"Because they already are afraid…" Rapunzel's voice trembled just slightly, a sad knowing dawning in her eyes, showing her deep comprehension of the situation. Sora glanced down, probably in response of the memories that started rushing into his mind.

"Yes, that is correct, Rapunzel." Master Yen Sid bowed his head briefly "I understand that is your case. I know that you came here seeking for answers and loved ones, but unfortunately the stars have not revealed me much more than what you already know. However, I do possess the certainty that you're here for a reason. You see, everything is connected. Though worlds and hearts may seem far apart and out of reach, they remain connected by invisible ties. You have a part to play in this story. Sometimes the connections aren't clear, but they're always there." He assured, as Rapunzel locked her attentive eyes with his, slowly taking in and making sense of his words.

"As to why Master Riku chose to bring you here, I'll hear about later." He shot me quick glance, before continuing. "We must be ready. This is why you -Sora, Kairi and Lea- are to be tested for the mark of a true Keyblade Master"

"It was about time" A new voice spoke from behind, startling everyone in the room, but Master Yen Sid. An unmistakable, tall figure with fiery red hair and a pair of green eyes turned out to be its owner.

"Lea!" Kairi, Sora and I said in unison, on the verge of summoning our weapons.

"Gee, what's the fuzz about?" Lea pushed himself off the wall that he was leaning on, setting us at ease, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"As I was saying," We turned to face Master Yen Sid again "The road will not be easy. Overcoming your fears will be an essential part of your test in order to deal with the task at hand. We must find the two missing lights in order to gird ourselves for the great clash with darkness that lies before us. And considering Xehanort's intentions, we must also turn to our allies in other worlds."

Bewilderment washed over us and expectancy filled the air. Master Yen Sid extended enigmatically both of his arms in front of him.

"It is my pleasure to introduce you to…" With a loud clap of his hands, a luminous portal emerged from one of the walls, glowing with a strong white light, only to be crossed by a tall and thin man that resembled Yen Sid somewhat. King Mickey followed right after him.

The man in crimson-red robes had silver hair and a quite lengthy beard, along with light blue eyes that hid behind half-moon spectacles. I couldn't help but notice the strong light that emanated from his almost ethereal presence.

"…Albus Dumbledore"

The mysterious man offered us a kind smile and bowed his head. "You may be wondering why I am joining you in a meeting as important as this one. You see, I don't believe there is an ordinary world. But the world I come from has very particular traits. It is a world of magic. A world of wizards and witches"

"Woah! No way! How come we never been there before?" Sora gasped, not even trying to contain his amazement. Albus grinned.

"I am here because I have reason to believe the two evil presences that you are looking for are hiding in my world. I am the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" Our eyes grew wider with every word he spoke, but his voice continued as calm and peaceful as if he were talking about the most trivial subject in the world.

"The creatures that you've come to know as the Heartless have made several appearances in the school grounds and are growing stronger by the second. I do not intend to expose my students to the danger they represent along with that of the broken balance between light and darkness. So, as I've discussed with Master Yen Sid, we would like you to come to my school in order for you to find the source of this increasing darkness. It is unknown to me what Xehanort's next steps are. But if you find him, you could prevent him from unleashing darkness over the entire universe before the important battle begins. We believe he's looking for something. Besides, King Mickey and I are carrying out an extensive research on where the two remaining lights are and so far, it looks very promising. However, I can't fully focus on it if I need to keep the darkness at bay. You must act as you see fit." He calmly placed his hand on his wrist. "The decision is up to you"

* * *

Long after Dumbledore departed to his own world along with Mickey, and everyone else headed to their bedrooms, Yen Sid and I held a very long-lasting conversation. Once it was over, I dragged my feet to my own room.

My mind was crammed with racing thoughts that kept demanding my attention forcefully. I kicked my shoes off and let myself fall backwards into the bed, shutting my eyes as I replayed in my head all the events and the new information of the day. Whether it was voluntarily or out of habit, I couldn't tell anymore nor did I care.

The mark of mastery for Lea, Sora and Kairi would be way different than mine. Unlocking sleeping keyholes vs. Finding and bringing down a source of darkness as undercover magic students in order to find the two lights…

Yen Sid said they would need the supervision of a Keyblade Master. I don't even feel like one. And then everything we talked about Rapunzel… Anyways, I'm supposed to protect her now. How did I even end up as her personal bodyguard in a world of wizards and witches? What a stupid question. I knew exactly how. Her presence alone disturbs the Heartless, so that'll lead us straight to Xehanort's warren. I opposed to her being used as bait. Yen Sid insisted because it'll make things easier and we have no time to waste. I knew he was right. He suggested I protected her. I agreed. Simple as that.

I sighed. Wizards and witches… And I thought Halloween Town was the craziest world I would be in…

_*Flashback*_

"_You will have to drink this potion. It'll give you full knowledge and the magic ability of a fifth grader, which is the grade you will be in" Dumbledore handed us all, but Lea, a vial with a suspiciously light blue glowing liquid within. "You, Lea, will drink these two."_

_He handed him a vial that contained a slimy light green liquid and one that had a dark purple color. For a moment I was relieved I wasn't the one drinking that._

"_One will mildly rejuvenate you, while the other one will give you the magic level of a seventh grader."_

"_So, I get to know more and look younger? Look who's lucky today! It's nice not getting the icky job for once" Lea smirked lightening the mood, managing to get a smile from both Kairi and Rapunzel. He introduced himself to her and began chatting._

"_But I don't get it. Why don't you just give these potions to your students?" Dumbledore seemed to be a little amused at my question._

"_For a start, they are temporary. And can only be drunk once or…" He pursed his lips as he looked up in search for an answer, before meeting my eyes again "…Let's just say they have quite serious counterproductive effects."_

_*End of flashback*_

I forced my eyes open and started unfolding the parchment that was tightly clasped in my hand, before extending it in front of my face. My eyes scanned it carefully in the dim light. Dumbledore said it was the list of everything we would need for the school year. The idea of pretending to be an exchange magic student didn't exactly please me, but if both Dumbledore and Master Yen Sid suspected that Xehanort was hiding there, I was more than willing to go. At least Dumbledore said we would have reduced schedules to still be able to travel throughout the worlds if needed.

My arms fell to my sides and my eyes closed once again with a deep sigh. I knew I should try to get some sleep. But I also knew that wasn't going to be happening any time soon. Not with the endless flow of thoughts that kept discharging violently into my head.

But I knew just the remedy for that.

The door closing behind me with a soft click before I made my way into the now empty study. As my feet advanced calmly and my eyes wandered about the dim room, I swiftly ran my fingers through the spines of the thick books in the shelves, until the sudden and unexpected sensation of air brought me to a halt. A book was missing.

'_Yen Sid must in the mood for a late night reading' _I thought to myself, and resolved to head towards my real target. The moon-shaped window.

I intended to star-gaze the night away, even though I knew perfectly that the night in the Mysterious Tower was eternal. Just as I was about to give myself permission to get lost into the wonders of the skies above, a golden flash in the corner of my eye stole my attention. A beatiful, long cascade of gold that almost reached the ground delicately swayed in the air.

Was that… hair?

I peeked my head through the window and glanced upwards. A figure quietly sat in the cone-shaped roof against the moon light, oblivious to my presence.

A few nimble moves were enough for me to reach the roof and I made the figure jump a bit.

"R-riku! What are you doing here?" Rapunzel asked a bit breathily, slowly going back to her relaxed state.

"I could ask you the same" I shrugged and sat next to her. The corners of her mouth rose, although it seemed a little forced.

"I came to look at the stars. I used to do that all the time back in my world" She hugged her knees, and her gaze traveled to the starry sky. I joined her.

"Already getting familiar with the Keybladers jargon, huh?"

"I guess" She chuckled faintly, but genuinely this time. "And you?"

"I'm already pretty familiarized with it"

"That's not what I meant" She shot me a mock sideways glare and I was the one that smiled a little this time.

"Same as you. Couldn't sleep" I leaned my elbows on the inclined roof and yanked my head back to get a better view of the sky.

"Neither could I" She murmured. "How did your talk with Master Yen Sid go, _Master Riku_?"

"Don't call me that" Unlike the frown that formed in my face, I could sense a brief triumphant smirk forming in her lips. "But it went fine, thanks for asking. I got a lot to think about, though…" I shot her a quick glance that she didn't notice before turning my gaze back to the stars "How do you feel about going to Hogwarts?"

She didn't reply and I turned my head to her. My question changed her mood in one second. A sigh escaped from her lips, lowering her gaze.

"That's the exact reason I'm here"

I leaned on my forearm, lying aside as I did so, giving her my undivided attention. "What do you mean?"

She remained silent for a few moments again.

"It's just… I don't belong here" She hugged her knees tighter, neither looking at me nor at the sky.

"What are you talking about?" My voice softened and she finally seemed to be willing to share her true thoughts on the matter.

"Everything… everything is just too overwhelming. I-I mean, a few days ago I barely knew what was out my own home, let alone even knowing other worlds existed -which is wonderful by the way because I've been dreaming about them my _entire_ life- but I'm no _Keybearer_. I'm no Keyblade Master and I'm not even sure what that means! I can't fight like you and your friends and I _definitely_ can't track down a powerful source of darkness! Much less bring it down, and all of that while pretending to be a student of magic! Don't get me wrong, that part sounds pretty exciting actually…" She let out a brief but lively chuckle that reminded me of tiny bells "…But this is just- This is too much, Riku" She brushed her hair back, before looking at me again. "And the worst part is I really wanna keep seeing what's out there. I really do." The quick tempo of her voice slowed down. "I'm really happy because I've seen and learned so much. But I still don't know where my mother and my friend are. And a battle, and Heartless, and the seven lights against the thirteen darknesses… that- I can't do anything about that! Those are things I know nothing about. " She hid her face in her hands and let out a sigh in frustration. I repressed the instant surge of guilt her words caused in me, but I couldn't tell her everything. I sat up and shortened the distance between us, stopping my hand in the air half-way to her arm. What was I doing? I hesitantly took it back and shook the thoughts out of my head.

"Well, that's something I can fix"

She turned her head up to look at me.

"I made you a promise, remember? I told you I would explain you everything once we were safe and I don't know but…" I pretended to look around before meeting her eyes again. "…I see no danger. And you don't look sleepy and I don't intend to sleep until you do, so…" I offered her a mild smile.

Her brilliant grin was all the thanks I needed.

"But you still heard what Yen Sid said, Rapunzel. You do have a part to play in this story, even if it's not very clear right now. I'm sure we'll find out soon enough"

"I do believe what Yen Sid said, but… how am I supposed to find out what my part is? And what if I do find out? What do I do then?"

"You just have to ask your heart" I replied sincerely and her worries seemed to melt away, for that moment at least. We gazed back into the sky and I began to tell her the old tale about a united universe in a remote era, in which people lived in peace and surrounded by the warmth of light...


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every chapter seems to get longer haha. Oh by the way, just so you know, the story Riku told Rapunzel is the one that Kairi used to listen from her grandmother. He explained to her what the Heartless are, Xehanort, why the worlds are apart and what Keyblade Masters are and their work. He didn't tell her his own story, nor Lea's.
> 
> Relax and read!

Sora was excited. Whether it was because of the magical world he came to know about the day before, having his friends join him in a new adventure, getting closer of becoming a Keyblade Master or all of them at once, he didn't know. He just focused on enjoying and spreading his good mood. Although, some were starting to get tired of his too lively and endless chatter…

"Oh-ho-ho-ho Hogwarts…" Merlin let his mind fly to a long forgotten time. "I still cherish the day I received my acceptance letter..."

"No way! You've been there too?!"

"C'mon, Sora, give it a rest. You haven't stopped talking about Hogwarts since we left the Mysterious Tower" Riku crossed his arms, only to be completely ignored by everyone in the room, but Lea, who gave him an understanding glance.

"Been there? This old wizard was educated and was a teacher there, my boy! But it's been a long time since my school days. I even had to spread a rumor to leave that crazy world once and for all he-he-he! A dark age, indeed!" Merlin took a sip of his tea.

"Well, now it sounds like a lot of fun" Kairi mimicked the friendly wizard, taking the porcelain cup in her hands to her lips. "You should be happy too, Riku. I read it's divided into four houses that value different things and a sorting hat chooses your house depending on your qualities" She gave the silverette a grin.

"A sorting hat you say? Talk about crazy with a capital 'C'" Lea took his fists to his hips. Still, Hogwarts sounded more and more appealing to them the more they knew about it. They couldn't allow themselves to forget their real objective, though.

"But there's something I don't understand…" Everyone turned their gaze to Rapunzel, who stirred her tea with a spoon absent-mindedly. "All of them can do magic." She looked at her companions around the table. "How come they never knew about this school?"

"It is because the worlds are divided, my dear. A pity, really." Merlin shook his head and adjusted his glasses. "Very few teachers and the headmaster of Hogwarts know there are talented wizards and witches all over the worlds, but very few are fortunate enough to know of the existence of other worlds. Even fewer, like yourselves, are able to travel between them."

"So, you're saying we'd have gotten acceptance letters too if we'd been born in the world of Hogwarts?"

"Right you are, Riku. So would have you, ma'am" Merlin nodded towards Rapunzel.

"Me?" She pointed to herself, frowning slightly. Realization hit a split second later, and so it seemed to hit Kairi at the same time.

"You're no muggle yourself" Merlin assured before taking another sip.

"Muggle? What's that?" Sora interrupted, eager to learn as much as possible about this new world. Riku paid close attention.

"Non-magical people. By George! It's been so long since the last time I used these words." Merlin let out a merry laugh that echoed all over the room.

"So, Punzie here is a witch?" Lea placed his hand on the shoulder of the blonde that sat next to him. Riku knitted his eyebrows at the new nickname, but Rapunzel didn't seem to mind it. Apparently, from the moment she met Lea, they started acting like good old friends.

"Yes, indeed. Perhaps a very powerful one. You all promise me to take your lessons very seriously while you're there."

"A very powerful one? Are you serious? That's so cool, Rapunzel!" Sora cheered and Rapunzel smiled back. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Riku's gaze was fixated on her. But unlike Sora, he wasn't smiling. At all.

"But, madam, if I may ask, how are you going to carry such a long… _hair…_ in Hogwarts? It is a huge place and I think it's going to be an inconvenience for you. Wouldn't you prefer something more… practical?"

Rapunzel's heart started beating faster at the hint of the wizard. "I… I really like it this way" She replied a little too fast with an ear to ear smile. Kairi's eyes widened and everyone fell silent for a moment.

"Huh… It suits you" Lea shrugged, not willing to give more thought to it. His days in the Organization gave him quite an open mind to diversity of thought.

"Yeah, you look gorgeous!" Kairi cut in, much to Rapunzel's relief. However, the auburn-haired girl had meant her words. "Merlin, is there a way you could help her with her hair without having to cut it? I was thinking about asking Aerith for help, but she's in Traverse Town with the others"

"Well, since you're going to be spending quite some time there, I suppose I could help you." Merlin caressed his long beard in thought.

"You can change hairstyles with magic too? You didn't tell me that in my training, I don't believe you." Lea raised an eyebrow.

"All right, I shall demonstrate. Come here, dear" Merlin stood up, rolling up the long sleeves of his blue robes to his elbows, before taking a magical wand out of one of them.

A nervous Rapunzel stood up, her endless blonde hair trailing behind her, as she silently prayed that he wouldn't accidentally cut it, burn it or something of the like. But he had introduced himself as the most powerful wizard in the world, right? Kairi nodded reassuringly as if reading her thoughts and Rapunzel gathered all the courage she needed.

Standing in front of the wizard, she turned her back on him.

"Now, what am I to do with you?" Merlin scratched his head, eyeing the long curtain of gold up and down.

"Oh, wait! I know!" Kairi bolted in his direction and whispered a few words in the ear of the legendary wizard, before running to her comfy seat again with a huge smile spread across her face. The boys exchanged puzzled glances.

"Very well, then…" Merlin cleared his throat as lifted his wand and flicked his wrist "ALAKAZAM!"

An intense white light surrounded Rapunzel. She winced, pressing her eyes shut, readying herself for something painful or violent to happen, her previous worries still present in the back of her mind. But nothing happened. The light gradually disappeared and she finally allowed herself to open her eyes cautiously.

She turned around slowly, looking for her hair in the ground "Well, I don't feel any diff-" She caught a glimpse of gold close to her feet and she eagerly peeped over her shoulder. The corners of her mouth noticeably rose, awe written all over her delicate features. A beautiful and carefully arranged, long braid swayed gracefully with her movements. She gave an enthusiastic twirl, as excited giggles escaped from her lips. "I love it! Thank you!"

"I knew it!" Kairi exclaimed. "You look lovely, Rapunzel. Right, guys?"

The three boys stared wordlessly at the blonde, expressions unreadable. Those five seconds lasted an eternity to Rapunzel.

"Yeah, Kairi's right." Sora cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head with a dorky smile, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. "You do look great"

"Yeah, you even got Sora to shut up. That's something" Lea snickered before holding his hands up defensively at the threat of Sora sending a sugar cube projectile his way.

"Thanks, guys" Rapunzel smiled sheepishly and walked back to her seat. She thought she caught Riku averting her gaze. Were his cheeks… pink?

"So, how was that for the most powerful wizard in the world, eh, Lea?" Merlin taunted, proud of his own work, before turning to Rapunzel "I'll teach you to do it by yourself once you get your wand, dear"

"Oh, that's right. We have to go to Diagon Alley" Kairi commented.

"Speaking of which, I gotta get my gummi ship" Standing up, Riku announced, ready to leave Merlin's house.

"Good idea. Come on, Rapunzel! I'll show you around" The blonde's arm was grabbed by and excitedly sprinted out of the room.

"Hey I wanna come!"

"Me too!"

Lea and Sora ran after them, leaving a bemused Riku alone with Merlin.

"What a lass! She has a lot of light. A real spark, lots of spirit" Merlin chortled.

"Well, she's a Princess of Heart after all" Riku quickly drank whatever was left of his tea and planted the empty cup on the table.

"Not her, lad. Rapunzel"

"Oh… yeah…" Riku's features went plain serious, remembering his long talk with his mentor and former Keyblade Master. "Master Yen Sid and I noticed that too. He says she even has the purity of a Princess of Heart" Riku ran a hand through his hair, the tiredness that followed the complexity of the situation and-what Riku thought was even worse-the vagueness and lack of information, slowly returning with the memory of such conversation. "Merlin, when you said she wasn't a mugg-"

"Oh, by George! I'm late!" Merlin dashed towards a different table and grabbed his favorite carpet bag, shrinking some of his possessions with an enchantment so that they fit in it, doing a small jig in the process "I'm sorry, boy. I have to go now"

Riku's lips were still parted, words at the tip of his tongue demanding to be left out. "Sure" He finally said, swallowing his questions in resignation.

Merlin took a last sip of his large cup of tea and once his possessions were completely stuffed in his bag, he turned to Riku.

"Worry not, lad. Follow your heart. Works every time. Just like magic!" He laughed and with a light tap of his wand in Riku's head, Merlin vanished into thin air.

#

"…It's good and ready to go"

Jim Hawkins patted twice the now repaired gummi ship, and stood proudly against it.

"It looks great, man. Thanks" Riku nodded as he eyed the vessel, satisfied with the result.

"No prob" Jim shrugged. "So, uh, is… Kairi around here?" He asked a bit too casually, his eyes awkwardly wandering about the place.

"She's with Rapunzel and Sora. She said she would show her around. Why?" Riku added with a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"N-no reason" Jim dusted off his shoulder. "Anyways, I gotta go with Cid. Tell Rapunzel and Kairi I said hi" He turned and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Oh, hey, Kairi. Just in time, Jim was just asking about you"

"Kairi?" Jim's eyes lit up as he rapidly scanned his surroundings, nervously pulling his hair back and adjusting his clothes. Nonetheless, the redhead was nowhere to be seen. "Wha- Where…?"

Riku cracked up. Realization struck Jim a second later and his face went from light pink to bright red.

"Tha- That's not even funny, du- Seriously? After what I did for y- Ugh forget it, man." After shooting him a death glare, he quickly walked away, head mildly low in order to hide his blush. Riku's laughter kept going.

"You know, I'm gonna take revenge! Some day. And that's a promise!" Jim yelled over his shoulder, still trying to hide his face as he distanced himself with a quick pace.

"I'll be waiting!" Riku shouted back, a hint of laughter still audible in his voice.

However, from that moment on a new unspoken agreement had been made. One they both were aware of.

They were officially friends.

#

"Riku, are you… _absolutely_ sure that this is gonna work…?"

"Yes, Sora. Master Yen Sid said so" Riku's voice was flat, although he was just as puzzled as his best friend was. A little nervous even, but there was no way he would ever admit that.

"Ok. Let's go then" Kairi nodded bravely.

"This sounds really fun" Rapunzel muttered under her breath, a smile etched across her lips.

"Show us how it's done, Keyblade Master" Lea commented.

"I just… I just have to focus" Riku said to no one in particular, as he closed his eyes in thought, holding a handful of a silver powder in his hand. Around fifteen seconds passed. Lea cleared his throat.

"Don't get me wrong, I love staring awkwardly at someone standing in a fireplace as much as anyone," He ran a hand through his hair, "but how 'bout we leave that for a special occasion?"

Riku glared at him.

"C'mon, Riku! I wanna go!" Sora exclaimed.

The Keyblade Master met the gazes of his friends. Everyone's smiles, even Lea's smirk, were meant to encourage him. However, it wasn't himself he was worried about. In fact, he'd rather go last only to make sure all of them arrived safely to their destination. Though they'd probably complain if he voiced his thoughts.

"You know what? I'll do it. Fire's my thing, after all"

Riku stepped aside, handing the redhead a small amount of Floo powder (or so he recalled that was what was called), and mentally thanked him. Knowing Lea, he'd done it on purpose, even though he would probably never admit it and would pretend not to know what he was talking about.

The redhead closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Diagon Alley" He stated clearly, before tossing a handful of powder into Merlin's fireplace. A swarm of emerald flames swallowed him and the next moment he was gone.

Everyone remained silent.

"Is he… all right?" Kairi inquired after a few heartbeats.

"I sure hope so…" A barely perceptible worry was audible in Rapunzel's voice, still processing what just had happened. Riku shrugged.

"Only one way to find out"

After Kairi and Sora repeated the procedure and the green fire appeared each time to fiercely devour them away, Rapunzel and Riku were left alone in the room.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go first?"

Riku nodded. "I'm sure. I'm right behind you"

"Okay" Rapunzel grinned widely, clasping her hands as she stood in the fireplace, making a little too obvious the fact that she was hoping that he'd reject her offer. Riku smiled a little.

When it was his turn, Riku transported himself quickly. Who would have thought there was a portal to another world in Merlin's chimney? The wizarding world was full of surprises, but little did the master know that was just the beginning.

#

"Look! Look at that!"

"No way…"

"Wait for me!"

"That's amazing!"

"Wait, what's that?!"

"Wow…"

"Aaaaaah!"

"Hahaha! Sora, it's just an owl!"

The group made its way across the cobbled alley full of shops that sold pastries, spell books, owls, bats, telescopes, potions, what looked like an animal's eyes, and a ton of merchandise that neither of the light protectors recognized. The sudden urge of running from one window to the next instantly took over them (especially over Sora and Rapunzel), their heads helplessly trying to turn to almost every direction at once. Most of the people around them wore pointy hats, or some sort of ancient but extravagant attire unlike any other they had seen before. White owls flew by their heads and some witches and wizards offered them to enter their shops. The sight was marvelous.

"Where do we go first?" Sora jumped up and down, as Rapunzel gleefully scanned the list of supplies Dumbledore had given them, barely containing her burning desire to jump along. She couldn't recall a time in which she had felt more excited. The group was gathered around her after deciding it would be better to actually do something instead of just window-shopping.

Her eyes scanned the parchment carefully. "It says we need to buy plenty of books in Flourish and Blotts. But Dumbledore's special notes say that…" Her voice trailed off, eyes widening slightly before her lips broke into a smile.

"C'mon, don't leave me hanging" Lea chuckled.

The blonde's eyes lifted from the list, before her grin deepened "We need to get our wands first"

#

"Here it is… Ollivanders" Riku read the peeling gold letters over the door of the shop, before it swung open with the sound of a bell as a woman, a man and a little girl stepped out of it; the three of them wearing sparkling smiles, a single tear rolling down the cheek of the woman.

"Looks like a happy place…" Lea shrugged, before they all stepped inside.

The air smelled of dust and the wooden floor of the tiny shop creaked softly with their steps. Worn racks covered up the walls and were filled with thousands of narrow boxes piled up to the ceiling. An old man with messy white hair and silver eyes stood in the center of the room.

"What can I do for you?" He greeted kindly, folding his hands behind his back.

"We're looking for wands" Kairi smiled back.

"Then you came to the right place" The old man chuckled half-heartedly. "All of you are looking for wands? I remember every single wand I've ever sold and I do not recognize you as my clients. I dare to affirm you aren't eleven years old, so what happened to your old wands?"

"Actually, we've got a special request" Riku took an envelope from his pocket and handed it to the man. Eyebrows knitted at the unusual behavior of his new costumers, he slowly received it and immediately identified the red wax logo sealing the envelope. His rushed and wrinkled fingers opened it and unfolded the letter inside, before his eyes devoured its content. Understanding dawned in his gaze and Mr. Ollivander put the paper away in a small desk with a smile.

"Wands it is"

At the statement, Sora stood impatiently in front of the man. "So, do we get to choose?" Riku let out a laugh internally at his best friend's behavior.

"I'm afraid not. The wand chooses the wizard, but… I think I might have just the perfect one for you" Mr. Ollivander pulled out his own wand and waved it slightly, making a green box hover its way down from one of the shelves straight into his hands. He opened it in an elegant gesture and gave the Keybearer the wand it contained.

"Whoa, this one's great" Sora's eyes were transfixed in amazement, taking in every detail. As if responding to the teen's comment, the wand emanated a strong, luminescent, white light that lit up the entire small shop in a matter of seconds, before quickly disappearing, taking the wand itself with it. Pairs of wide eyes stared silently at the event, blood draining from Sora's face.

"Y-You saw what happened! I-I swear I didn't do anything! Where did it go?!" Sora held his hands up, his gaze desperately trying to locate the wand in the floor. Mr. Ollivander laughed a little.

"Worry not, young man. It has merged with your Keyblade." He explained calmly for Sora's relief, who quickly summoned his well-known weapon, only for it to be replaced by the thin wooden artifact. His grasp felt somewhat clumsy, having expected the much larger weapon he was so familiarized with.

"Hazel and unicorn hair, 11 1/4, unbending." Mr. Ollivander's voice was enthusiastic, but Riku seemed to have other things in mind.

"How do you know about the Keyblade?"

"Let's just say we've had world travelers before" Mr. Ollivander grinned. "My grandfather used to tell me stories about his encounters with them. I always believed his words to be true, even though my father advised me to do otherwise as he assured the existence of other worlds was utterly impossible. But in a world full of magic… what is there not to believe?" His lips curled into a smile, a soft and sweet nostalgia filling his voice. "But I never thought I would experience these encounters. The fantastic stories of my childhood" He sighed longingly.

Riku's features softened and for a moment he believed he saw the eyes of the man moisten.

"You must forgive an old nostalgic man. Now, who's next?"

About an hour passed, as Mr. Ollivander attempted to find the right wand for the rest of the world travelers. Lea was the one that had the most trouble and the one that produced the more accidents in Ollivander's shop. Even though Rapunzel volunteered to help him clean, the man refused.

"Now, listen to me. You can't go on about making your wands appear out of nowhere. It's best if you pretend to take it out of your robes. Alright?"

"Thanks for everything, Mr. Ollivander. I'm glad you found out your grandfather was right" Rapunzel nodded. He replied with a warm grin, his eyes revealing her words had moved him.

"Now go and do what you do best. I expect great things of all of you"

The Keybearers voiced their farewells and soon they were out in Diagon Alley again.

"We got our wands! How cool is that! I'll be dueling with you pretty soon, Riku. Prepare yourselves, magic folk. The Amazing Wizard Sora was just born." The brown-haired teen grinned slyly and Kairi laughed, while Lea just face-palmed.

"Can you believe this guy?" Rapunzel chuckled as Lea pointed to Sora with his thumb.

"I'd like to see you try" Riku raised an eyebrow.

The day went on fast, between laughs and amazed gasps from the five of them as they got more involved in the wizarding world, picking up their books, and looking at what every shop had to offer. Soon, it was finally time to go back to Merlin's.

"C'mon, let's hang out just for a little while" Sora pouted, as they all followed Riku to the fireplace where they'd come from.

"You know we can't do that. Merlin's waiting. And don't forget Rapunzel's got a spell to learn"

"Oh, that's right" Rapunzel grinned and Sora frowned briefly, before seeming to completely forget about the topic. "I wanna see you do that! It seems pretty amazing! Maybe he'll teach me some spell too"

"We all have magic practice in case you forgot, Amazing Wizard Sora"

Sora's mouth opened at Kairi's sarcastic remark "Righhhhht" He sighed, his face turning light red. "I guess I did forget."

"HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP!"

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Riku abruptly stop at sound of the agonizing shrieks along with the other four light protectors, as the entire Diagon Alley froze in fear. "This way" Sora ran, following the terrifying echoes, as his friends ran right after him. They kept going as fast as they could until they reached a pub named "The Leaky Cauldron". The screams intensified.

Just a moment before Sora stormed into the place, Kairi threw her arms around him from behind.

"Sora, wait! You can't use the Keyblade!" She exclaimed.

"Take this. Quick" Riku tossed everyone the vials Dumbledore prepared for them, except Lea, since he carried his own vial in order to prevent any kind of mistakes.

They swallowed the vial's contents and before any of them could say a word, a younger Lea kicked the door open.

The view was not pleasant at all.


	8. Chapter 8

Riku let out a hushed curse. Pieces of broken glass were spread all over the floor, along with fallen chairs, tables and scattered papers. The bodies of a man and a woman lay unconscious, while a ten-year-old-looking girl held onto both of them, crying inconsolably as she hid her face in the chest of the woman. A different man stood in front of them, blood flowing from his brow and covering half of his face, as the glow in the wand he held up slowly faded.

An army of Neoshadows stood menacingly, fixating their sinister gazes on the man they'd chosen as their next prey, stepping ahead little by little. The light protectors ran next to him and took a defensive stance. As if waiting for them, the man passed out.

But the Heartless were the least of their problems.

Five three-meter tall humanoid beings covered in black cloaks hovered over the floor. Their presence so ominous, cold and dark, that the silverette couldn't help but be reminded of those infernal and vivid days he wished he could simply erase from his past. Days in which he lived completely surrounded by darkness in its purest form.

And that's what those creatures were.

Rapunzel looked at the girl and ran to kneel beside her, before putting a hand in her shoulder. "Hey, everything is going to be fine. We'll protect you. I promise". She said firmly and the frightened girl bit her bottom lip and nodded weakly, her cheeks streaked with tears. Only then, Rapunzel recognized her and the two adults as the family from before. The happy family that left Ollivanders right before they entered. She ignored the increasing sadness in her chest and determination took over. Giving the girl one last reassuring look, she stood to take back her spot next to Kairi.

Her stomach flipped. Al least now she knew those things were Heartless, but even though she now had a wand and could do something to defend herself, their presence sent shivers down her neck to her back. Could she really keep her promise? As soon as the thought came she discarded it. She was going to have to try. NO. She _would _do it. Besides she had help and one that she had plain faith in.

Between Kairi and Riku, Sora gulped silently, sensing the deep and never-ending darkness that came from the terrifying beings, pretty much like his best friend did. "What kind of Heartless is that?" Sora whispered, as he pointed his wand towards the cloaked monstrosities.

"I've no idea" Riku mumbled back, further unsettling Sora, and they all stared at the dark monsters, not making any move.

"Then let's find out" Lea said with a smirk, as his wand turned into his flamboyant Keyblade and shot a strike at one of the creatures. Riku called out to him to make him stop, but it was already too late: hell had been unleashed.

"_Expulso_!" Riku screamed and a couple of attacking Neoshadows were thrown back. Confusion hit him for a split second but knew better than to let it take over him in a battle situation, so he just flowed with it. Random words kept escaping from his mouth along with random wand movements and the same thing seemed to happen to Rapunzel, Sora and Kairi.

"They keep going straight for Rapunzel!" Sora yelled, disintegrating two Neoshadows at once. "Ugh! This is no good!"

However, he wasn't the only one getting frustrated. "Why are they doing this?! I don't get it!" Kairi kept throwing spells and did her best to protect her newest friend. Neoshadows surrounded Sora, Riku and Kairi as they hindered their way to their true goal, working as a protecting wall to Rapunzel behind them, who threw spells from there and saved them every now and then from fatal blows. "Where is Lea?!" Riku groaned as more Neoshadows managed to leave deep cuts in his skin.

The battle was fierce; every time they killed a Neoshadow three more came to replace it.

Rapunzel noticed it wasn't as easy for her as it was for the others since she never had training in combat and wished, not for the first time, she could do more. She glanced at the girl who seemed more frightened with every passing second and then at her parents. Suddenly something came to her mind.

"Use your Keyblades!" She yelled.

"WHAT?!" Her friends answered in unison, fighting their way to survival. "You know we can't!" Kairi shouted back.

"No one's here to see you! It's the only way! I'll guard the door!" Rapunzel sprinted towards the entrance, driving the Heartless crazy as she increased the distance between them. Without a choice, the wands of the Keybladers turned into their respective weapons, making the job a lot easier. Rapunzel kept shooting spells, but her aid was now minimal compared to massacre of Heartless her friends were carrying out.

Riku panted after taking out the last Neoshadows, resting his hands on his knees. "Where's L-"

"LEA!" Kairi and Rapunzel cried and ran to their friend in the corner. Riku and Sora looked up and both of their hearts sank.

His pale and almost lifeless body rested on the floor, lips parted, and it was surrounded by the atrocious cloaked Heartless. Riku and Sora followed after Kairi and Rapunzel, whom were just in front of the insidious things that had already left Lea and changed their focus to them. Kairi's keyblade returned to its wand form, and raised it just as Rapunzel did with hers. Riku's eyes widened. "WAIT! Don-"

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_" They screamed at the top of their lungs and a strong and silver light emanated from their wands, merging as one final blinding light. Sora and Riku covered their eyes, dazzled by the intense glow.

However, the light chased the darkness away and for a moment, so it did their worries.

Riku could feel his heart going lighter, and the vivid memories from his dark past were suddenly a faint and scattered bad dream, that was replaced by joy, happiness and something different he vaguely recognized as… peace. Memories of his best friends and him spending time in the islands came to his consciousness, along with King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Naminé, Cid, the others and… Her….

Then everything went back to normal.

"LEA!" Rapunzel ran and kneeled beside him along with Kairi. The cloaked Heartless were long gone.

Riku remained in a state of shock, the voices and sounds around him in the back of his mind, and slowly turned his head towards Sora, who looked just as dumbfounded as he was.

"_Heal!_"

"_Lea! Can you hear me?_"

"Did you feel that?" Sora breathed, locking his eyes with his.

"…_HEAL_!"

"_It's not working!"_

"Y…yeah." Riku said.

"Lea, please! WAKE UP!" Kairi pleaded, snapping both Keyblade bearers out of their dreaming state. Both jumped a bit and mentally agreed to discuss later whatever was that happened, before joining the girls immediately.

"What's going on?!" Sora's stomach clenched at the sight of the newest Keyblade wielder.

"I don't know! It's no use!" Kairi replied, her eyes starting to moisten.

"Heal!" Riku tried several times, and so did Sora, but nothing happened. Tension hung in the air. Rapunzel's eyes widened, took her ear to Lea's chest, straightened herself and nodded determinately to Kairi. It took the redhead two seconds to understand the message.

"Listen! Here's what we're gonna do. You guys take care of everything and everyone around here. Rapunzel and I will meet you here in 20, got it?"

Before anyone could say anything, Kairi and Rapunzel got to work, placing each of Lea's arms around each of their necks and dragged him out of the place. Sora and Riku observed them leave at lightning speed and, without much of a choice, they casted healing spells on the parents of the girl and took care of the other man…

#

"Just drop him here!"

"Ok!" Rapunzel replied, carefully taking Lea's arm off her neck and putting him on the ground, swallowing a lump in her throat. Lea looked even paler. They'd found a dark and lonely alley that wasn't nice in the slightest, but it'd have to do. Who knows how much time they had left.

"Do your thing, I'll keep watch!" Kairi stood up and ran to keep anyone from discovering them.

Rapunzel unbraided half of her hair with shaky hands and hurriedly let it rest upon Lea's chest. She took a breath and just as she was about to start singing, his eyes flew open.

"ROXAS! ROXAS, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Rapunzel jumped back as the redhead breathed heavily and repeated several times the word she didn't recognize, summoning his Keyblade and frantically trying to get up, failing miserably every time. His body was weak and his haunted eyes revealed he had completely lost sense of space and time. Rapunzel tightly placed her hands in his shoulders, avoiding the attacks he threw to the air.

"Lea, look at me! It's okay! I'm here, I'm your friend!" She spoke with a new found voice, her grip on his shoulders tightening "It's over, you're safe now!" Lea finally calmed down a bit, letting his keyblade fall to the ground and disappear.

"MY FRIENDS! ROXAS! XION, MY FRIENDS, I...-" Tears glistened his eyes, sparkling in the faint light. His nails dug into his palms, as he continued to breathe heavily, and sweat poured down his face. "My friends I… I'm so sorry". The quiver in voice dissolved into tears before he buried his face in Rapunzel's shoulder, his body shaking as he emitted soft whimpering sounds. The blonde was motionless and her mind went blank, feeling heartbroken at the scene and not knowing how to react. Nonetheless, she forced herself to put her arms around Lea and held him tight.

"I'm sorry…" He choked softly against her skin, his voice full of regret, but Rapunzel had a feeling his words weren't meant for her.

Right before he hid her face, she saw something in Lea's eyes she thought would haunt her forever. The usual sparkle in his gaze had been taken away, leaving his now dull eyes etched with sorrow and torment. The layers of his history and the protecting walls he'd put around himself had been forced to fall, only to reveal what he'd so hard tried to run away from.

"I'm here…" She whispered, closing her eyes, and allowing herself to comfort her friend in silence, feeling his body slowly relax into her embrace. She prayed that whatever was that haunted him, would just go away.

Kairi came back a few minutes later and gasped at the scene. "Lea! Are you okay?" She spoke softly kneeling beside both of them. When he didn't reply, she turned to Rapunzel.

"I don't know" She mouthed.

Kairi looked at them, smiled slightly and joined the hug.

* * *

Rapunzel didn't know how long they remained in that position. Eventually Lea's shoulders began shaking again. Rapunzel's heartbeat accelerated, until she realized he was chuckling. Not his usual playful, cocky chuckle, but a weak and sad one.

"Very well" He sniffed as he wiped some tears away from his cheeks, not meeting any of their eyes. "I think we've had enough of the support group for today." He broke the hug, and attempted to stand on his own, faltering a little. Kairi and Rapunzel helped him to his feet.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Rapunzel inquired.

"Hey, I'm a tough guy." He cleared his throat in an attempt to stabilize his voice. "Got it memorized?" His index finger touched the side of his forehead and forced a smirk.

Rapunzel nodded with a small smile, even though a part of her was still worried about him. '_No_' She thought to herself. "_I know Lea will find the way. And we'll be there to help him_"

"We're here for you, Lea. And not just us." Kairi grinned and motioned between herself and Rapunzel. "That's right" Rapunzel said.

"I know" He sighed. "Thank you. Both". He ruffled the hair of both girls. "But I do kinda have somethin' to ask of you…" Lea scratched the back of his head and Kairi grinned knowingly, before rolling her eyes.

"We won't say anything."

"Thanks. I have a reputation to think of, you know? It could completely ruin it"

"Ah. We wouldn't want that" Rapunzel raised her eyebrow playfully.

"A fake reputation is all a man has" Lea shrugged and Rapunzel chuckled lightly.

"We should get going" Kairi sighed. "Sora and Riku must be worried-sick"

"Don't you mean you want to run straight into Sora's arms?" Lea pushed her lightly with his elbow, wiggling his eyebrows. Rapunzel was glad to see bits of his friend slowly coming back.

"W-where did that come from, huh? They were actually worried about you and tried to bring you back to life"

"Oh, now you're just trying to avoid the topic"

Rapunzel noticed Kairi's cheeks grow redder and swore she saw the hint of a smile in her face.

"Let's just go, shall we?" Kairi smirked "Or else". Lea laughed.

"It seems I've taught you well. Well played, Kairi, well played" He patted the top of her head lightly. "Now I've got to train Rapunzel".

The three of them made their way out of the alley at a slow pace, Rapunzel and Kairi offering Lea support every now and then. They soon reached the Leaky Cauldron, where Sora and Riku awaited, anxious as ever.

"Oh there you are! Lea!" Sora exclaimed and threw his arms around him.

"Woah, slow down. You think a couple of Heartless are going to stop me? Puh-lease!"

Sora let him go, and smiled widely.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Riku half-grinned, lightly punching the redhead in the arm. "Next time you wanna go on a suicide mission, you might wanna send us a memo so we won't spoil it"

Lea laughed. "Oh, so Mr. Keyblade Master was worried about me? I'm so flattered"

Riku half-smirked, and turned to Rapunzel and Kairi, the slight mirth vanishing from his face. "I don't know how you managed to solve this, but we all need to have a very serious talk at Merlin's"


	9. Chapter 9

The empty teacups were still on the table and the chairs were exactly as they had left them in Merlin's house. The light was dimmer, the orange and yellow hues of twilight passed through the window, making small particles of dancing dust visible. Merlin was nowhere to be seen.

"I wonder where he went" Kairi sighed. They really needed to discuss the so called _dementors_. Kairi, Lea and Rapunzel had been quite surprised when Riku and Sora told them those horrid dark beings weren't Heartless. Apparently when they took care of the family and the man in the bar, they told them the dementors suddenly came to attack them. There wasn't much room left for questions as it would seem suspicious, but it was a start.

"Before he left he said he was going to be late for somethin'…" Riku's eyes narrowed.

"Late for what?"

"Not sure" Riku met Rapunzel's eyes as he replied to her question. Merlin was the type of person to have a mysterious and very unstable agenda.

"He was gonna be late, you say? Then I guess that's it for today." Lea scoffed in defeat. "Whenever he says that, it means he'll come back tomorrow. Or the day after. Or the day after the day after". He pressed his palm against his forehead.

A few complaints went through the group. Yen Sid was quite busy helping King Mickey and Dumbledore, so waiting for Merlin was the best option for now. If he really did choose to come in three days and wasn't here by tomorrow, then they would be left with no other choice than to interrupt Yen Sid's work.

"I suppose that leaves us a little extra time to prepare before going to Hogwarts in two days" Kairi said and noticed Sora's and Rapunzel's childish grins. Maybe they could all practice making magic and have fun together.

"Where does Merlin even go?" Riku's eyebrows furrowed. As much as a deep part of him loved the idea of just hanging out with his friends and discover what his new abilities were, more important things had to be taken care of. The success of the mission depended on it. Yen Sid and everyone else were counting on him and he simply refused to let them down. He wouldn't fail anyone. He wouldn't lose to darkness. Not this time and not ever again.

Lea let out an exasperated breath. "_Time traveling_" He quoted with his fingers and rolled his eyes. He believed in Merlin's powers and he could definitely see his potential, but sometimes the wizard was too… eccentric. He then sighed. There was nothing left to do now. "I'll call it a day. See you in the morning at Yen Sid's so we can come and talk to the crazy wizard." He dismissed them with a quick wave of his hand, as he made his way to the door and pressed his palm against it to push it open.

"Lea?"

The former Nobody spun on his heels and was a little surprised to see Rapunzel's slender figure standing in front of him, her emerald eyes full of concern. He gazed down right at them. Even if he looked slightly younger now, he was still taller than the girl. How could she look so worried?

"Whoa, what's with the frown? It doesn't suit you at all, Punz. Your face could stay like that, you know? And that'd be a pity". Lea gave her his trademark smirky grin. An old habit by now. Nonetheless, there was a hard glint in his eyes this time. The corners of his lips fought to fall down and reveal his true self, but he wouldn't let that happen. He never did. He had figured out how to carry out the 'care-free guy' role and it had worked for him pretty well so far. However, Rapunzel's face remained intact. Lea frowned inwardly.

His features softened. "C'mon, Punzie, don't gimme that look. I'm just gonna relax. Look at me, I'm okay, see?" He motioned to himself and his smirk came back. "And I've got good looks in case you didn't notice."

This time the corners of her lips twitched slightly, nowhere near her usual wide grin. Lea took it as a victory nonetheless. A small one, but a victory all the same.

Her big puppy eyes pleaded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

_Maybe._ "Nah, I got some stuff to do. Don't wanna drag you into the boredom" He shrugged dismissively.

Rapunzel grimaced, but didn't push it farther. "Where are you going?" She tilted her head and Lea thought that if he didn't leave soon he might as well end up letting her come with him and drop his façade.

"Hmmm…" He pondered on it for a couple of seconds. "_Time traveling_."

He winked and ruffled the hair of a disconcerted Rapunzel, before even giving her a chance to reply. "See ya, guys" Looking at everyone else, he waved and pocketed his hand, giving Rapunzel one last forced playful smile, and for some odd reason, the soft click of the door closing behind him stirred a sour familiar feeling inside the blonde.

Guilt.

Kairi walked up next to her followed by the others and said, "Hey, I'm sure Lea's fine. He just… needs a little time" The redhead caressed Rapunzel's hair comfortingly, looking at the door as well. Though, if she were asked, she wouldn't deny she was a little worried too.

"_Time traveling_, huh? What did he mean by that?" Sora spoke to Riku.

Riku crossed his arms. There were times where Lea would suddenly disappear and go somewhere else by himself. No one had really questioned him before about the places where he spent his free time on, but his getaways were starting to get more and more frequent lately. What was he up to? And how does "time traveling" fit into all of that? It was the first clue they'd gotten from him about his mystery visitations since he joined the team.

"Hey! I've got an idea" Sora snapped him out of his thoughts. "How about we practice some magic, huh?" The brown-haired teen suggested, lacing his hands behind his head.

Kairi smiled. "Sounds like a plan to me".

Riku had something else in mind and interrupted before Rapunzel could nod in agreement.

"Actually we've got a mission. Sorry to ruin your date, lovebirds" Riku smirked. Kairi grinned knowingly and Sora's cheeks turned bright red as he found himself at a loss for words and began stuttering something incomprehensible in his defense.

Turning her gaze up to them, the blonde smiled weakly and Riku was glad to be the distraction that took her sad features away even if only for a moment. But the task at hand was more important. "Rapunzel, Yen Sid wants us to investigate the way Heartless react to you in other worlds. Sorry I didn't tell you before but I told him that if you didn't want to-"

"I do" Rapunzel nodded quickly, pushing her worries about Lea to the back of her mind. Riku gave her a look of disbelief.

"I really do. Please. I want to help" Rapunzel reassured him, making sure her eyes were convincing enough, until Riku nodded in understanding. "We won't let anything happen to you. I'll personally make sure of that"

"And we'll protect you and Riku" Sora winked at her and Kairi agreed cheerfully.

Riku's gaze turned to his other two friends. "It's settled then". He said, sounding amused.

"Guess we'll have to be back tomorrow morning to meet Lea and look out for Merlin" Kairi added and Sora started to get excited about the adventure that was to come. "A mission sounds good"

"Let's go then!" Kairi beamed.

Rapunzel's mind traveled back to her life in the tower. Sure, Gothel had talked a lot about needing protection before. That was the reason she had never left the tower in the first place, right? It was the main topic of every conversation they had and the center of her lifestyle until now: she was to be kept "_safe_". That had always been the priority. But this protection felt different even though she couldn't put her finger exactly on what it was. And unlike the only way of protection she ever knew, this time she actually wanted to be part of it.

_I can't wait for you to meet my new friends, Pascal._

"I have a promise to make"

All the attention went to Rapunzel, her sudden choice of words taking everyone by surprise.

"Promise? What kind of promise, Punzie?" Kairi asked.

Rapunzel stood firm. "I promise to protect all of you too. What happened earlier… I don't want that to happen. Not ever again. I couldn't protect my mother or my friend Pascal from the Heartless and I couldn't protect Lea today. I want to be there for all of you too."

"Aw, Rapunzel, I know how you feel, but you know none of that was your fault." Kairi gave her an understanding look.

"You didn't know of the existence of the darkness and neither of us knew those things that attacked Lea weren't Heartless. You did your best and your best is always enough. Nothing to feel bad about" Sora smiled and was quick to try to take Rapunzel's guilt away, but Riku just stared at her, his features plain, making completely unreadable whatever thoughts or emotions took place in that complex mind and that complex heart of his.

"I know…" She sighed. She knew it hadn't been her fault. How could it be? But a part of her just… She had to make up for it all. "But I do have something to ask of you…"

Everyone remained silent, expectation almost tangible in the air.

"Please, teach me to fight."

Surprised looks crossed the Destiny Islands trio. They exchanged hesitating glances and Rapunzel pushed the topic. She had to do this but she couldn't do it alone.

"Please, I promise I'll learn fast"

"Rapunzel, it's not that we don't think you can. It's just too dangerous" Riku locked his eyes with hers. "I just told you I'd keep you safe and I intend to keep my word" His stern gaze was not going to stop her. Not this time at least.

"And I also just promised to protect all of you, Riku. And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise." They continued to hold each other's gaze, neither willing to look away. "Ever"

More than a promise to all of them, it was a promise she'd made to herself, and they both knew it. Riku knew exactly how she felt and he couldn't blame her for it. To not be able to protect those you care about in the past and the determination of not letting them down ever again. The refusal of re-experiencing that burning impotence, the guilt and the anger at yourself. The chance of redeeming yourself and make things right this time.

To yearn for the strength to protect what matters.

"Please, Riku. After what happened today it's obvious I need to learn to fight. Xehanort's very dangerous, you said so, and he's not alone this time. You're going to need your full potential. And with all those Heartless going after me, you might not always be there to protect me. There are many other things you have to take care of. I understand that"

"Rapunzel's right." Kairi stood next to Rapunzel and Riku glared. "I know what you're thinking, but we need as much as help as we can get. You already saw what she's capable of. She already proved herself. Can you imagine what she could do with a few training sessions?"

Riku gave her a patient look. How could Kairi take her side? Couldn't she see what was at risk? He tried to speak calmly his next words. "Kairi, I _know_ what she's capable of. I saw her risking her life for a stranger so I know how serious she is when she says she promises to protect all of us" He paused and shot a quick glance to Rapunzel. "But she's no Keybearer. This isn't her fight, it's ours."

"It became my fight when I lost my world because of it!"

A heavy silence permeated the air and settled on the small house. Kairi and Sora shifted uncomfortably and Riku remained quiet, guilt slowly building inside him. He lowered his gaze for a moment.

She was right. Maybe it was her fight. Still, he was right too. Letting her fight beside them without any training background, while in an undercover mission in a magic school, and while having a particular popularity amongst Heartless, was total nonsense. Unethical, even. It would take months for her to learn the basics properly and they didn't have that time. He'd even left her alone in a world with no Heartless, and they'd seen how that turned out, hadn't they?

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I'm sorry, Rapunzel. But I'm not putting you in any danger" He lowered his hand and met her frustrated face. "Already did once."

Rapunzel's eyes widened for the briefest of moments, and Riku averted his concerned gaze, turning his back on her. For a few heartbeats she stared at him. Did he blame himself for what happened back in Montressor? Was that it?

She took a deep breath and slowly walked, until she stood in front of him, placing her soft hand in his firm shoulder and tilting her head, but failing to meet his evasive gaze.

"Please, let me keep my promise, Riku. Besides, you'd be keeping yours too". Even if his head didn't move, his aquamarine eyes finally resolved to meet her jade ones.

"You'd be protecting me by teaching me to fight, don't you think?" She smiled faintly, lifting her eyebrows. Through his peripheral view, Riku caught Sora supporting Rapunzel, giving her a thumb up. How could no one support him? And to top it all, the logical part of his brain kicked in. She actually had a point. What was she supposed to do in the case none of them were able to help her? Even if he kept convincing himself that that would never happen, there was still a chance. As much as he hated to admit it. Would the Heartless just take her heart? He dismissed the thought immediately. That was not an option.

"You and I know it's impossible to interfere with people's hearts. I think the right choice is pretty obvious, Riku" Sora punched lightly his best friend's arm.

A deeper smile found its way into Rapunzel's defined, fleshy lips and Riku fought the urge to smile himself. Boy, this girl was stubborn. Just like some certain silver-haired Keyblade Master with aquamarine eyes.

He stared a little longer at her and his jaw clenched in anticipation of what he was about to do. Would he regret this? Better to be safe than sorry.

"Fine" He sighed in defeat. "But it has to be on my terms"

The other three celebrated right after his first word, not really paying attention to the rest of what he said. The odds of winning an argument against Riku were always pretty dim, and even though it'd have to be under his rules, it was a victory nonetheless. It was exciting having an new member in their team.

"Only self-defense" Riku said before they celebrated too much, and Rapunzel listened attentively. "There's no time to properly train you. And when we're on missions you have to do exactly as we tell you. You won't fight unless it's a life-or-death matter, got it?"

Rapunzel nodded excitedly and her smile grew wider. "It was a pleasure making business with you"

"Wish I could say the same" Riku raised an eyebrow and this time he couldn't help but grin back. Who would've thought she was a negotiator too? Once again he underestimated her…

"So that settles it! The only thing left is, where should we go?" Kairi placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, since Rapunzel's learning to fight now, I think I know the perfect people and the perfect place for the job" Sora took his hand to his chin.

"And where's that?" Riku asked.

The brown-haired teen smirked. "Port Royal"

* * *

"P-p-pirates?!" Rapunzel's hands reached out to both Kairi and Riku's arms as if to hold still, each occupying a seat next to her, while Sora piloted his gummi ship. The idea of visiting a world inhabited by pirates did not sound appealing in any way. At all. Especially after having already dealt with space pirates and almost dying in the process. "I-I don't think I can do that" Her voice quivered.

"We'll be safe, Punzie, you'll see. We'll never leave you alone. And you know, it's also my first time visiting this world" Kairi beamed, excited at the idea of adventure. But the fact that it was also Kairi's first time on that world, just unsettled Rapunzel further.

"Hey, we just made you a promise." Riku said quickly as if sensing her thoughts. "I know Sora can seem like a total sap sometimes but-"

"Hey! You know, maybe you can spacewalk your way to the next world" Sora warned mockingly and the four of them laughed.

Once the chuckling ceased, Riku continued. "And even if this world _is_ Sora's choice," Sora glared at him but didn't say anything else when Kairi giggled, "these aren't evil pirates. I wouldn't go as far as saying they're good, but they're okay I guess."

Rapunzel bit her lower lip and remained silent for a few moments, then glanced up to meet his and Kairi's eyes. "If you say so then… I believe you." The blonde forced a small smile. She had to be ready for anything now, right? Then she'd better start facing her fears because there was still a much bigger adventure ahead and an atrocious villain to stop. It seemed like many of the threats her mother had warned her about were exactly as she'd described them.

Maybe a lot worse.

But her mother also hadn't warned her about friendship, fun, freedom and magic. And it turned out those things were just like Rapunzel had imagined.

Maybe even better.

"Ok! We're here!" Sora exclaimed with a devilish expression on his face as he put his hand in one of the levers. "And you know what that means"

Every alarm went off in Riku's head, but it was already too late. Everyone joined in a screaming chorus, a strange mix of fun and panic, as the gummi ship went into a nosedive.

* * *

Jewel-blue waves crashed against the shore, darkening the cold, golden sand and stealing rests of fallen palm trees with it. The smell of salt intoxicated the air and ghost-grey mist hovered over the tall but quiet mountains deep in the island, blocking the blinding sun.

"Sora, this is nothing like you said Port Royal was…" Kairi whispered in Sora's ear, a slight annoyance audible in her voice.

"That's because this isn't Port Royal" Riku eyed the shore. A vague memory of his home surfaced, except this beach wasn't nearly as nice. And even if it were, Destiny Islands would always be his number one favorite. Nothing would ever change that. But if this wasn't Port Royal, where were they? And most importantly, how would they find the people they were looking for?

"Sorry" Sora lifted a shoulder as he smiled apologetically.

"Hey, it's okay" Kairi grinned.

"_NO WAY_! Look! It's a ship!" The three teens followed Rapunzel's finger and surprise transformed their faces.

"Not just _a ship_, it's the Black Pearl!" Sora said. "We found it! C'mon!"

The four sprinted across the chilly shore, the massive ship that stabbed the sand becoming closer and closer with every step. Rapunzel silently marveled at the footprints that were left behind in the sand, enjoying the wet sensation under the soles of her feet, and the soft crunching sound that accompanied it. Soon her gaze lifted and she was distracted by the old, ragged black sails of the lonely ship.

Unnervingly lonely ship…

No ship had black sails in the pictures of her books. But then again, what did she know about the real world? Leave alone _other_ real worlds.

After a minute of running, they stopped in front of the ship and Kairi and Rapunzel slowly stepped closer in order to reach out to touch the wet wood.

Nothing could be heard besides the crashing sound of the waves. Not even seagulls. It was strangely quiet, considering a legendary crew of a pirate ship was in the island.

"I wonder where Captain Jack Sparrow is" Sora wandered around and right before Kairi could reply, a loud, low moan-like sound echoed from the mountains, sending shivers to anyone unfortunate enough to hear it. The teenagers' heads whipped around and tension quickly built thick in the air. Black smoke started emerging from somewhere deep within the island and started dancing along the mist of the mountains.

Silence again.

"We'd better hurry and find him _now_" Riku's jaw clenched. This couldn't be good. "Rapunzel, come with me. You two stay here and keep watch. We'll be back in a minute" After Sora and Kairi nodded, Riku quickly moved next to one of the ropes that hung from the ship. Rapunzel followed right after.

"Can you climb this?" The silver-haired teen signaled the rope, but Rapunzel looked up at the ship instead.

"I think I can do this" Riku either ignored or didn't notice the slightest hint of a grin in her face.

"Good. Try to follow my lead. I'll help you as soon as I make it to the deck" Riku began climbing the rope, his strong and athletic body allowing him to keep a good pace and a perfect balance. If it turned out Rapunzel couldn't climb, then he might help her a little with magic just like the day they met.

And to think that day felt far away.

Once he almost made it to the wooden edge and was about to grasp it with his hands to push himself up, something came from inside the ship and reached out to him, barely making him let go of the rope.

His heart began beating at a normal rate as soon as he saw the owner of the small and delicate hand.

"Oops" Rapunzel resisted the urge to chortle and offered him an apologetic smile. "I thought you could use some help"

A relieved look crossed Riku's face as he huffed and took her hand. "How did you even-"

"Years of practice" Rapunzel grinned proudly and helped him up, until he landed gracefully. He miraculously didn't step on the long, silky trail of gold that he soon recognized as Rapunzel's loose hair, and only then he understood what she meant.

Still, how could he be over the fact that, not only could her hair probably cover the entire deck, but it was also useful to reach the highest of places within seconds? The memory of last night when they talked in the roof of the Mysterious Tower resurfaced in his mind and he felt stupid. Of course she could climb and now he knew how she did it. But what kind of home did she live in to practice climbing with her hair? Was it a thing of her world? He fought against his curiosity and decided to ask her later about it. No time for that now. There were so many things he didn't know about her though.

"That was impressive" He forced himself to snap out of his thoughts, and she sheepishly thanked him for the compliment.

He motioned for her to follow "We gotta go. Stay close"

They made their way into the crew's quarters, quickly lowering a flight of stairs and Rapunzel's nose wrinkled. The salty fresh scent of the sea had been replaced by rotten wood and the acid reek of sweat that grew stronger the deeper they went. A shadow moved out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned around nothing was there to be seen. She gulped.

"Riku, what exactly, um, are we doing here?" Rapunzel quickly followed his steps and stared as the Keyblade Master proceeded to rummage through the piled stuff under one of the many old hammocks that the blonde assumed was where the pirates slept. He continued, quickly discarding guns, swords, stinky clothes and more weapons, before moving to the next hammock only to repeat the same process. He didn't seem so pleased with the things he was touching either.

"Getting you a weapon". His disgusted look momentarily disappeared and the corner of his mouth quirked up. "Found it".

Before Rapunzel could say anything, he got up, dusted himself off and half proved the sword in the air with simple moves. He pursed his lips. "False alarm". He shrugged and dropped the sword back to its' place in the wooden floor, before he moved on to search in the next hammock.

Against her own will but following her curiosity, Rapunzel grabbed the worn hilt of the dropped sword. It was a light, shiny, thin blade. "A weapon? But I thought-"

Sensing her thoughts, Riku shook his head while searching. "Mm-mmm. Can't use your wand. Not here."

Rapunzel sighed. Of course. How could she forget? "No meddling in the affairs of other worlds, right?"

Riku blinked and turned his head. So she actually paid very close attention to what he taught her last night in the Mysterious Tower. A strange pride stirred inside him as he remembered the way her eyes struggled to remain open just to listen more of what he had to say even after he insisted many times on her going to sleep. However, she'd only say that she needed to understand how things worked in order to be able to do something. Eventually, her unwavering will was overcome by the weight of her eyelids, so Riku wasn't really expecting her memory to retain many details. After all, there was so much to process and she was completely new to all of this. Still, he found his expectations proved wrong by her once again. "So you weren't lying when you said you're a fast learner, huh?"

She shrugged "What can I say? I have a good teacher" Her lips curved upwards and Riku grinned back at her. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel the light she irradiated. Her warmth, her purity, her kindness…

Then he cleared his throat.

"But you're right. Wands don't exist here, so you can't use yours. But after handling a sword, a wand should be kid stuff." He rolled his shoulders. "Let's keep searching"

Rapunzel nodded absentmindedly. "But… what about-"

Glass broke.

The blonde spun around in her heels, quickly scanning her surroundings. Everything was silent except for the soft sound of the ropes of a hammock that moved from side to side in a barely perceptive motion. Heartless? Thugs? Ruffians? ...Pirates?

"R-R-Riku" Rapunzel stepped back, almost tripping with the Keyblade Master that was already behind her, his keyblade firm in his grip. He stepped in front of her, his intense eyes looking for the source of the noise.

"Take this" He ordered in a low voice that left no room for hesitation and handed her a silver sword. Rapunzel shakily grasped the hilt, her heart threatening to jump out of her chest. This was it. One of her hands traveled to a strand of her hair. Contrary to her mother's opinion, Rapunzel always knew it would be an advantage and that it would come in handy to take care of herself out there. She was pretty skilled with it and this was the time to prove it.

And this was the time to learn to use a sword.

Noises started to come from behind them, then in front of them, as if a gust of wind traveled across the room in circles, making its presence known through the violent movement of the objects it touched.

"Don't move" Riku whispered sternly, his knuckles white around his Keyblade. He couldn't sense any darkness. But if he had learned something in the past two years, was that the darkness you can't sense is the most dangerous of all.

Suddenly, the noises stopped.

Rapunzel could almost listen to her heartbeat. Their nerves were on the edge, and at this point any sudden movement would cause a lethal slash of one of their blades. She wouldn't hesitate. Not this time. This was the time to be brave.

And she was.

A guttural screech was heard and in a second all Rapunzel saw was a pair of pointy fangs an inch away from her face. In the space of a blink, the flat side of her blade clashed with Riku's Keyblade, and a capuchin monkey fell to the ground.

A poor, defenseless, lanky monkey.

Rapunzel's hands muffled a gasp, and the sound of metal against wood was heard as she let go of her sword.

Her knees hit the ground, and her face distorted with terror as she came closer to inspect the unconscious creature. "No, no, no, no! Wake up, monkey! Please!" It wasn't moving and it wasn't breathing. As she was about to poke it to look for a sign that indicated the monkey was still alive, her hands were firmly grasped by Riku's. "Ah ah. You don't wanna do that. Trust me" His eyes were unreadable and Rapunzel frowned. What was he up to?

"What are you talking about? We did this, we have to help!"

She released her hands from his, and reached out to the creature's body. It was gone.

She blinked once. Twice. She was tempted to do it a third time as if that would make it reappear, but instead she turned her face to Riku.

Riku smirked at Rapunzel's dumbfounded face and released a chuckle. "Told ya. Relax, he's fine"

She contemplated him for several moments, then went back to the empty spot. The monkey was unconscious a second ago, where did he go? And how did he move so fast? She hadn't seen monkeys in her life before, but Rapunzel was sure that couldn't be natural.

She pressed a palm against her forehead. "Argh, I'm a despicable human being. I just hope you're right".

"C'mon, you just reacted. And I'm pretty sure I'm right in this case. He's fine" He sounded amused for a strange reason as he stood up and offered her his hand. "Let's head back. I think we've given Sora and Kairi enough quality time" He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it with a smile, picking up her sword in the way as he helped her up. He turned around and began leading the way out.

"Riku, wait."

"Hm?"

"I'm not sure about this."

He tilted his head "About what?"

Rapunzel looked down at the blade in her hands. "I mean, this sword belongs to someone else. I know it's not like we have many other choices but what if the owner needs it? Or what if it's precious to them, like a gift from someone special or something? I can't just take it." As much as Rapunzel understood that a weapon was needed in order to learn something -anything- about combat, she refused to simply steal it from someone else.

A flicker of confusion crossed the Keyblade master's aquamarine eyes and for a full second he looked at her, perplexed, as if she were some unsolvable riddle or a modern urban painting he couldn't understand.

When that second ended, he snickered. Rapunzel's eyebrows furrowed and it took every ounce of his strength to repress a full laugh from escaping his lips.

"Rapunzel," Riku paused, and the blonde noticed his voice was a little strained. What was so funny? "I know the owner. We won't get in any trouble, 'kay? Pirates lose and get new weapons all the time. I can assure you…" He paused, fighting to maintain his shoulders still and to keep them from shaking. "…it's not a gift from someone special"

A flicker of disbelief crossed her eyes, but then it disappeared. It wasn't him that she didn't believe him, it just didn't feel right. Her eyes returned to the blade. "Okay, but… at least can we give it back when we're done using it?"

This time, Riku couldn't suppress his laugh.

Rapunzel frowned again. "Why are you laughing? I mean it, I want to give it back" She mumbled before crossing her arms and Riku was finally able to regain some of his self-control.

"Sorry, I'm not making fun of you, it's just…" His voice trailed off and Rapunzel, though she didn't show it, could tell he was telling the truth. His grin wasn't a mocking one.

"Just what?"

Riku pondered on it for a few moments.

"Rapunzel! Riku! Everything okay?"

"C'mon guys! We gotta find Captain Jack Sparrow!"

"Coming!" Riku shouted back at Kairi and Sora. "Never mind, we gotta go" He added and Rapunzel agreed as he began leading the way out of the ship.

Right after a few steps, her eyes caught sight of something shiny on the floor. It was a tiny golden object.

She stepped closer, curiosity getting the best of her, and couldn't help but bend to pick it up. "Riku, I think I found something…"

It was a small medallion, with a shiny skull at its center and an intricate pattern around it. It was cold and light to touch, but with an odd aura around it. She held it in front of her eyes. "Look, do you think the monkey dropped this?"

"Hm?" His smirk vanished, eyes popping open in realization. "Rapunzel, don't-!"

"GAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

* * *

"Riku, I am so SO sorry! Are you sure you're alright?"

"Mm hmm"

"Please let me do something about it"

"I'm fine"

"I-I really shouldn't have picked it up, I should've known he was going to get upset after that first warning. It's his territory after all. At least let me take care of those scratches-"

"I'm okay"

The ashamed blonde sighed as she walked besides a stoic, bitten and a much scratched Riku. It turns out the medallion did belong to the monkey, and as soon as he found out it was in the blonde's hands, he quickly proceeded to defend his precious belonging from the intruders. Riku noticed a second too late, but threw himself and managed to knock the medallion from Rapunzel's hands, becoming the monkey's target of wrath releasement in the process. He stood up frenziedly trying to knock him off. Rapunzel threw and pulled her hair, aiming at the raging monkey in an attempt to remove him from Riku's lower body, which the monkey dodged, and the strand became tangled in the silverette's legs making him fall, which also resulted in a far worse attack. Eventually, Rapunzel made good use of her animal communication skills and managed to apologize to the monkey and convince him to leave the Keyblade Master alone. He became her friend and even led her to a thin belt to keep her sword in.

_I'm sorry,_ Rapunzel thought remorsefully.

Finally the duo got off the ship and landed on the shore. Fresh air was exactly what they needed, but it was time to do what they came to do.

"Sora, Kairi, let's get moving" Riku announced in a steely voice. Rapunzel could tell he still wasn't himself. She wondered how their friends would react to suddenly see him full of wounds, bites and with his clothes slightly tattered.

But they didn't.

Because they weren't there.

"Sora! Kairi!" Riku called out for the third time but no one replied. Rapunzel walked around the nearby area, making attempts of finding them on her own calling out to them as well.

"If this is a prank, it's not funny! Quit the games, we don't have time for this!" Riku waited for an answer, suddenly feeling his body tense at the unpleasant hypothesis that began forming at the back of his mind. He cursed under his breath.

"Riku, look! Footprints!" Rapunzel pointed to the sand and Riku saw several marks. She ran after a trace that led straight into the island. Riku didn't need to be told twice.

'_These are from at least ten people. Ugh, what did you two get into this time?'_ Riku told himself as they sprinted full speed through the tropical jungle. He observed several ropes hanging from the trees, but found his thoughts interrupted when Rapunzel abruptly came to a halt almost making him trip.

"Wha-"

She put her hands over his mouth, her eyes as big as saucers.

"Ubaga shebeni!"

"Numuku, munumulu baga"

Five men in loincloth with large spears and blowtubes stood a couple of feet away from them. Their bodies were completely covered in dry mud and their faces streaked with yellow stripes, each with a different pattern and several bone piercings. They didn't look happy.

Riku and Rapunzel held their breaths and lightly shifted in their feet to hide behind the palm trees in front of them.

"Munumulu baga guak guak" The corpulent man of the group groaned, eyes burning with anger, punching his free hand into fist and sticking his spear on the ground. The other four fell deep in thought, as if meditating on his words.

"Baga buga guak guak" Another nodded and the others whispered unintelligible sounds, determination etched on their faces.

"BUGA GUAK GUAK!" They roared unison, fiercely stabbing the sky with their spears. Soon they raced towards the mountain, growling and howling as if their lives depended on it. Other voices replied from the distance. Soon the rattle of branches and leaves that followed their steps slowly drifted away along with their voices. Not soon enough in Riku's opinion.

When the voices were barely audible, Rapunzel exhaled heavily, pressing her forehead against the palm tree that saved them a lot of trouble and Riku leaned his hands on his knees. That could've gone terribly wrong.

"That was close" Riku said, adjusting to the sudden adrenaline rush. "We gotta be more careful"

Rapunzel's head and back were now pressed against the trunk. "Do you think they have Sora and Kairi?"

"I dunno". Riku straightened himself and shook his head. "They wouldn't get caught just like that, I know that for sure." _Especially because Kairi's here this time_, he thought. Sora would be extra protective. "But I don't like the number of footprints."

"Neither do I" Rapunzel pushed herself off the palm tree. "We should follow those men before they get too far"

"You're right. I can't tell if they've gotten Sora and Kairi but judging by their camouflage they must be skilled ambushing unsuspecting people. I bet the Black Pearl crew must've had a fun encounter with them. There are broken traps everywhere. Let's go" He helped Rapunzel carry some of her hair and they ran after the natives of the island.


	10. Chapter 10

"Look, he's waking up"

"That took a while"

"Sora, we have to do something"

Kairi hissed as she stood next to the Keybearer behind a hut. "We can't just look"

"I know, Kai, but if they shoot us with those sleeping darts it's over. We need a plan" Sora peered his head and continued observing the peculiar scene unfolding before them.

Kairi groaned in frustration. He was right. "We'd better hurry and come up with something then. Will must be wondering where we are. What I don't get is what Jack's doing over there"

Sora chortled. "I told you you'd be surprised when you met him" He turned his head to his childhood friend, only to meet her frown. She usually laughed at his jokes, so whenever she didn't, Sora knew he had to focus at the task at hand and it was time to get serious.

Clearing his throat, he lifted a shoulder with an apologetic smile. "Sorry." He turned his head to the front again "Will looks desperate. I don't see the rest of the crew either".

"We're lucky that only he saw us. But we still gotta find everyone else". Letting out a sigh, Kairi ran a hand through her hair. "Riku's gonna be so mad"

"Yep." Sora breathed in, resigned to the lecture that knew would occur later. "But we're here to save a friend, so we're good". Considering the circumstances Riku would surely come around. Maybe. In the meantime they had something else to worry about.

A few feet away from them, a man slightly covered in dirt with messy brown hair hung from a bamboo pole carried by natives, that were ready to present their prey to their new king. The rest of the tribe followed right after.

"Jack! It's me! Will Turner!"

The man Sora and his friends came to know as Captain Jack Sparrow stood in front of him. Pairs of eyes had been painted in his eyelids and cheeks. His hat had been replaced by a red large and extravagant ornament, wrapped by dead snakes, a skull, the bones of a hand and thick, long strands of brown and red hair (at least not _Rapunzel_ kind of long). Jack held a thick black feathery scepter that resembled a huge duster in Sora's opinion. Behind the renowned pirate was a wooden throne, decorated with spears and several skulls and bones in the backrest. Looking down at Will as if he were nothing but an insignificant insect, Jack poked him twice and then turned to one of the natives.

"Wa-say kohn"

"Een dah-lah. Eeseepi." The native displayed Will proudly.

Sora's eyebrows furrowed. "What's Jack doing?"

"Eeseepi" The whole tribe echoed weakly in agreement, as if scared their leader wouldn't be satisfied.

"Tell 'em to let me down." Will demanded. A flicker of disconcert and fear crossed his eyes.

Carelessly, Jack exchanged words with the native crowd. They laughed and yelled something in response enthusiastically, pumping their fists in the air. Jack made a sweeping gesture.

"Sora, something's wrong." The redhead's voice shook.

"Let's just wait a sec. Maybe he told them to let him go" Sora gulped.

The natives began chanting and taking Will away with maddening gazes on their faces. Multiple voices began to fill the air and Jack simply turned around to head back to his throne. Sora's and Kairi's eyes popped open.

"Jack! The Compass!" Desperation audible, Will yelled at the top of his lungs and the natives stopped. "That's all I need, Elizabeth is in danger. We were arrested for trying to help YOU. She faces the gallows!"

The Keybearers gasped and Jack Sparrow halted for three full seconds. He stylishly turned around and casually walked back to his once ally. No visible sign of recognition and what was worse, no visible intention to release him.

"I don't get it. Why isn't Jack doing anything?" Sora groaned. Kairi summoned her Keyblade.

"Kairi, uh, what are you, uhm, doing?" Sora asked slowly. She pointed her Keyblade to the other side across the crowd of natives. "We have to stop this"

"Wait! Ka-"

"Fire" She whispered.

A yellow spark of magic traveled unseen to a far bush that instantly caught flames. All the attention was immediately drawn to it and the tribe quickly moved to put out the sudden wild fire that was already beginning to scatter and sending smoke everywhere. Kairi's Keyblade dissipated.

"Wow" Sora was in a daze but forced himself out of it. "C'mon!" He grabbed her hand and they began sneaking around the tall grass and palm trees, taking advantage of the sudden diversion. They reached the back of Jack's new throne and pressed their backs against it.

Unfortunately for the Keyblade chosen ones, the fire had become more than the simple time-buyer they'd hoped for.

"BOOM-SHOO-BOOM! BOOM-SHOO-BOOM! BOOM-SHOO-BOOM! BOOM-SHOO-BOOM!"  
Claps, laughs and louder chants were heard from the whole tribe. They pointed frenziedly to the fire and some even began bowing to it.

Suddenly, Will found himself being taken away again. Only with a lot more excitement from his captors.

"Jack, what did you tell them? No! What about Elizabeth?" Will kept moving his head to look at the now king of the island. "Jack...!" His voice gradually got lost in the natives' cheers. Exchanging a few words with the tribe, the captain of the Black Pearl went back to sitting in his throne, allowing a new mad joyfulness take place among his subjects. He wasn't bothered by it.

"Pssst. Psst. Jack"

Jack Sparrow's eyes widened, eyebrows furrowed. Then his brown orbs moved to one side.

"Psst. Here."

Then to the other.

The thought that the lack of rum was starting to affect him crossed his mind.

"Behind you. It's me, Sora"

Jack's eyebrows lifted but didn't say anything in response. One of his guards stared intently at him. But if he wanted a ticket out of this '_rumless'_ island this was it.

"Jack, where are they taking Will? And where's the rest of the crew? We need to-"

"Save me" Sparrow said flatly the second his guard got distracted. He was now staring at the new fire the natives were preparing right at the center for everyone to see. A very suspicious fire.

Confused, Sora tilted his head. Luckily for him, his companion grasped the situation.

"Okay, just tell us where to find Will and the crew"

For a second Jack wondered who this new voice belonged to, but didn't give it much thought and stood up. Baffled, Kairi and Sora watched him walk away in that unique way of his.

Just as they were about to jump to conclusions Jack started talking to the guard and the natives in that strange dialect Kairi suspected he was making up. With one hand, he pointed up to the left as if discussing some birds in the sky and driving away their attention as he did so, talking in a voice that made anything sound as if it were of an extreme importance. Before the Keybearers could exchange glances, Jack's left arm was placed behind his back and shook his feathery scepter repeatedly to the right.

Sora squeezed Kairi's hand lightly. "Let's go save Will"

* * *

"I think we're almost there" Riku panted and Rapunzel nodded. They had been moving side by side through the jungle for a while now, successfully keeping their distance from the suspects without losing them. If they'd really captured their friends Riku thought he might as well teach them a lesson. However, he reminded himself of his true mission. After finding Sora and Kairi, they needed to see how Heartless acted towards Rapunzel in this world. Maybe only then they could get a clue as to why she had such an effect on them. But… where were the Heartless? They should've encountered at least one by now.

"Riku, look!" Rapunzel said, coming to a halt behind more palm trees and he followed her lead. The voices and the beat of drums had been getting louder and louder for the last minutes, but at last they'd found what they were looking for.

"Oh my gosh, who's that?" Rapunzel trembled and Riku tried to hide his shock.

Hands and ankles tied, a man hung from a bamboo pole over a huge pile of kindling wood yet to be lit, while native guards observed him with pride. Others danced around him. "Nice job" The man acknowledged calmly in spite of his position.

Riku's eyes hooded, all shock gone. "That would be Captain Jack Sparrow for you"

Rapunzel gasped. "_That_ is Captain Jack Sparrow? Oh no! What are we gonna do?"

Riku lowered his gaze as he attempted to come up with some kind of plan. First Sora and Kairi went missing and now his best friend's pirate buddy was about to become the next snack of a bunch of cannibals. He was very close to think that now nothing could go worse but he knew better. Better than to tempt fate. Aquamarine orbs met emerald ones. "I'll go untie Sparrow. You stay here and-"

"But I want to come" Rapunzel said. "And before you say anything else, I'm sure we can both figure something out. Two heads think better than one, right?"

He shook his head and Rapunzel pouted knowing he'd come up with some kind of rational argument. "Look." He motioned his chin to where Sparrow was, and she reluctantly did as told. –more natives came into the picture. The more that came, the more frantic they got.

"There's too many of them, Rapunzel. And they keep comin'. I gotta fight my way through. No point in risking both of us."

With those words, Rapunzel lowered her gaze in defeat. He didn't say it out loud but she still didn't know a thing about fighting. Which meant she could help by stepping aside.

She didn't look convinced, but nodded feebly in agreement to his logic.

Seeing her deep in thought, Riku softly touched her shoulder. "Hey, no need to worry. I've got this."

But she wasn't worried. Not this time. She yanked her head back, before meeting his eyes. "Okay. Maybe you're right." She exhaled heavily and looked slightly more convinced. "But if you do get in serious trouble I'll come out and help you" She warned.

Riku's soft smile smoothly grew into a smirk. "Then I guess I'd better make this quick so I won't bother you, huh?"

Rapunzel felt a smile drawing on her lips. "That's right. You absolutely don't want to make me go out there to save you" She said and they both laughed, forgetting for an instant the setting around them.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Rapunzel turned her head to where Jack Sparrow was and Riku followed her gaze. The noise the natives made kept increasing.

"It's a good thing Sora and Kairi aren't there. That's a relief"

"Yeah" Riku's eyebrows furrowed. "I guess… I hadn't seen it that way. Hm."

Rapunzel looked at the guards busily moving and exchanging words while some others danced around the pirate, when she suddenly felt a gaze on her. After seeing a bit of movement out of the corner of her eye, her orbs shifted slightly and she turned to the Keyblade master expecting to meet his eyes. Nonetheless he was intently looking at Jack, his body stiff, and his features plain serious.

He cleared his throat. "So I'll cut Sparrow's ties and we'll come your way. Then we're run for it until we lose whatever cannibals are after us. That part will get tricky but nothing we can't manage. After that-"

Rapunzel finished the sentence "We find Sora and Kairi."

Riku nodded "Pretty sure Sparrow we'll know where they are, so that solves our problem. You sure you're okay with this? I can figure out a different plan if you-"

"I've got it" Rapunzel said with determination. "I'm ready".

He pursed his lips. "Okay. At the count of three, I'll jump out and the games will begin. Stay hidden and be on the lookout for cannibals. I'll be back with Sparrow." His body turned towards the pirate as his Keyblade materialized in his hand. Rapunzel stood next to him. His muscles began tensing ever so slightly as he mentally prepared for the action that was about to begin. "Here it goes." He breathed to himself. "One… two…"

"Wait!" Rapunzel's hands reached out his thick wrist and Riku stared into her forest green eyes, a little confused. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Rapunzel didn't answer right away. Her lips were pressed in a straight line. "Nothing, just uh…" She awkwardly let go of him. "Just… be careful, okay?"

A flash of puzzlement crossed Riku's face. That took him by surprise. The corners of his mouth rose in a cocky grin. "I have to. Otherwise there's this blonde girl that threatened to bring chaos to everyone just to save me if I'm not"

Rapunzel's shoulders relaxed and she felt a soft heat rush to her cheeks as she smiled back. "Yeah, I would definitely listen to her"

Riku stifled a laugh and got focused again, walking to the edge of their hiding spot. The noise the cannibals kept making was dangerous now. Torches had been lit and everyone surrounded the poor pirate. Riku prepared to jump into what soon would turn into a hopefully not so fierce battleground.

Nonetheless a scrawny teen with a worried expression and a skull for a hat came into view. He'd come running from a weak-looking wooden bridge as he held a long, thin spear. Following his gut, the Keyblade Master chose to wait. Luckily for Sparrow, so did the tribe, whom stopped just a second before they began roasting the infamous captain.

Panting, the boy urgently explained something to the rest. Riku didn't like his tone.

Surprised faces spread quickly through the crowd and every gaze turned to the man about to be cooked. Silence.

Jack Sparrow lifted his head "Well, go on. Go get them" He ordered.

"Ehlala" One yelled.

"EHLALA!" The tribe echoed and with more battle cries, every single one of them ran towards the same direction, emptying the place.

Riku's stomach did an ominous flip. "Sora and Kairi" He muttered.

A burning torch came out flying backwards and fell exactly in the kindling wood, below a now forgotten Captain Jack Sparrow.

Rapunzel and Riku exchanged knowing glances. This was their cue.

Both jumped out of their hiding spot. Rapunzel sprinted directly towards Jack, whereas Riku's eyes scanned the area, his grip tight on his Keyblade.

Sparrow's eyes widened looking at Rapunzel, her hair obviously being the first thing noticed, but his expression turned into a relieved one as the silver-haired Keybearer came into sight. Luckily for him, his Keyblade put the fire out with an ice spell. "So I think it's safe to say you met the monkey, aye? Long time no see, mate."

Riku walked backwards, ignoring the comment on his appearance, his eyes still looking for possible threats. "Not long enough."

Rapunzel unsheathed her sword to begin cutting Jack Sparrow's ties. "Hi, Captain Jack Sparrow. I'm Rapunzel. Hope you're okay"

"'Ello, lass. Captain Jack Sparrow, eh? Looks like you already managed to get in me in your good side. Hey, Riku, I see you and Sora decided to renew your crew. Thank goodness for that. Though it would be dishonest to say I won't miss the duck and that other… _mate_ too. Careful, darling." Jack muttered to Rapunzel as she cut the ropes around his feet, easily recognizing someone's first time with a blade.

"Sorry" She apologized meekly.

"You saw Sora and Kairi? Where are they?" Riku's Keyblade dispelled in his hand.

"Turner. And what's left of the crew…" He muttered the last sentence.

"Is that where everyone went?" Riku groaned in frustration already knowing the answer. He'd been hoping he was wrong. "We gotta get there. Fast."

The thick ropes around Jack's feet fell and just as he was about to talk, the three of them realized they weren't alone anymore.

"Heartless!" Rapunzel pointed with her sword and felt her blood turn to ice. Three Neoshadows walked closer, their intention to surround them clear enough. Eyes on the blonde. Riku let out a curse.

"Cut the ropes! Cut the ropes!" Jack demanded.

"No time for that!" Riku lifted the bamboo pole, pirate attached and everything, only to let him fall to the ground.

"Ow!"

"Run!" Riku took Rapunzel's forearm, helping her with her hair, leaving a somewhat immobilized Jack Sparrow to run with his body bent, a pole still tied to his back.

The Neoshadows followed their lead.

Rapunzel sheathed her sword and glanced back to make sure Jack was right behind them. She felt a small relief seeing he was.

They crossed the narrow, weak bridge and got to the tribe's small village. A few simple huts were scattered over the place, along with piles of fruit. The Heartless were gone.

"Did we… lose them?" Rapunzel panted, refusing to give into their hopes they had just yet.

"Dunno. Don't think so. Let's cut Sparrow's ropes" Riku replied and his Keyblade appeared once again.

"Aye" The pirate agreed almost too happily. But his glee didn't last long.

* * *

"Lift the cage! Lift the cage!" Sora yelled and the crew complied.

This mess was never part of the plan.

Kairi and Sora had established that as soon as they found the crew, they would get to work in order to help them escape. How hard could that be? They just had to be as swift as a coursing river and mysterious as the dark side of the moon, just like Sora had learned from Li Shang back in the Land of Dragons, right? That turned out well for them.

However, when they did find them, the crew had already developed a plan of their own.

If it could be called that.

It was a vision none of the Keybearers would be forgetting anytime soon. A bunch of men trapped inside round cage made of bones, designed to hang from long, thin ropes, over a treacherous cliff. Not only that, but the crew somehow managed to swing it enough to make it to one of the walls in order to climb their way up. And that's when they'd come into the picture.

Long story short, Sora and Kairi helped the crew up, cage and everything. It turns out the natives had found out about their plan, so almost the whole tribe came to retrieve their prisoners/food just as they made it to land. Kairi cut the cage loose, but there was no time for them to try and break it, so the crew rolled with it instead. The Keybearers ran after the bone ball, witnessing and wincing at the painful occupational hazards of the pirate life, as the cage violently whirled and jumped over the unsteady and rocky ground, only to be abruptly stopped by a palm tree.

If only things ever turned out according to plan.

"Hurry!"

"Lift it!"

The pirates did as told with the cage. Kairi warned them about the natives coming, which wasn't truly necessary, since the cannibals did that just fine by themselves.

Lifting the cage of bones, the men moved as quickly as their feet allowed them, adrenaline granting them a miraculous way to do so and not to trip with each other in the process. Kairi and Sora ran side by side, right next to them, performing a spell to shield them from the spears the cannibals occasionally sent them.

Sora deflected an arrow when Kairi grabbed his arm and warned the pirates against their own survival instincts. Which of course, meant she would be utterly ignored.

"Wait! Stop!"

It was worth the shot.

Sora noticed Will actually attempted to come to a halt, but it was too late. Screams were heard as the cage rolled down a cliff, completely disappearing from their view. Kairi gasped and Sora followed right after her to the edge, only to be relieved to see the crew had landed in a narrow underground cave full of water. There was movement –which meant they were okay- and the cage was broken.

"They made it!" Kairi beamed in a very Sora-like manner, which he noticed and would have made him smile had a spear had not flown right above his head.

"EHLALA!"

"EHLAAALAAAAAA!"

"WOOWOOWOOWOO!"

Right, they still they had their own problems.

"Jump!" Sora grabbed Kairi's hand, both Keyblades disappearing as the two of them joined the pirate crew into the cold crystal blue waters.

Everyone swam for dear life, the water failing to deafen the turmoil the cannibals caused in the surface. Arrows flew past them, which was incentive enough to go deeper so they wouldn't become easy targets. Kairi and Sora dodged as they could, holding their breaths for as long as possible, waiting to be on a safer spot to deflect their attacks with their Keyblades. It was taking longer than they'd hoped.

A hand grabbed Sora's arm and pulled him out of the water, depth gone and solid ground under his feet, until his body hit something hard. He was about to retaliate, when he realized it was Will. The crew was right behind him, Kairi among them, their backs pressed against the walls of the cave. They'd reached the end of it.

But apparently this time there would be no mercy or luck on their side, since the cannibals surrounded them from above, menacingly pointing their spears and arrows right at them. There was no place to hide or dodge. Kairi and Sora summoned their Keyblades ready to defend themselves and the crew when-

"Talecocho! Talecocho!" A short native boy came into the scene above them, pointing urgently to the side with his finger.

The cannibals yelled something unintelligible, even more enraged than before, and hurriedly left. The crew exchanged confused glances.

"That means it's time to go" Sora said.


	11. Chapter 11

A bulky man with messy black hair and heavy body paint observed them. He slid the tip of his tongue around his dry lips, exposing yellow fang-like teeth.

Riku, Rapunzel and Jack froze.

This alone was enough for Rapunzel and Riku to evaluate their options and possible courses of action. They'd both agree that in this case fighting wasn't really necessary. The man, even though hungry, was completely unarmed and defenseless against the three of them. 'Easy does it', as they say.

But, of course, they forgot who their third party was.

"AAAAAAAH" Jack Sparrow lunged forward, pointing the tip of the wooden pole on his back straight to the cannibal, who easily dodged him, stabbing a pile of coconuts instead.

Riku and Rapunzel were completely flabbergasted.

"Dock!" The silverette yanked Rapunzel downwards just in time, as Sparrow sharply turned around, sending a coconut flying straight to a different cannibal's head.

The native's hands were faster, though. Slowly bringing the coconut down from his face, he revealed wet skin and hair, covered by white liquid. His upper lip furrowed upwards.

"Watch out!" Rapunzel unsheathed her sword and slashed at a flying pineapple, splitting it in two, juice falling all over her hair and dress. Great. The cannibal had backup now. Two native women stood by his side.

A watermelon came this time, followed by multiple projectiles. Riku cut them right in half with his blade, getting support from Rapunzel and approval from Sparrow, who also started receiving his own fair share of tropical fruits.

For a moment, Riku was reminded of that videogame _Fruit Ninja_, in which neither Sora nor him had been able to beat Kairi at. Lea had gotten close enough, but right at the next day, she'd managed to beat her own score again, setting the bar even higher. Lea said he'd be the first to beat Kairi, but it was an empty threat and they all knew it. However things got serious between the three young men when the redhead said he'd always be the second best. Things had been pretty even since. After Kairi, Sora held the best score. '_For now'_.

Rapunzel fiercely slashed her blade at the numerous fruits sent her way, docking and dodging whenever she recognized them impossible to hit, which meant they would become impaled along the pole on Jack's back.

Riku would barely miss a fruit, sparing Rapunzel from a few hits, but followed her steps when it came to calculating if a fruit was an evasive target or would splash too much juice for his own comfort. Sparrow also dealt with the splashy consequences of this.

Until he had enough.

"STOP IT!"

The women stopped and stared, much to everyone's relief. They took the pause to look at themselves.

Juice dripped from Rapunzel's features, dress and hair. Riku's clothes, still looking tattered after his encounter with Jack the Monkey, had sticky and colorful spots all over them, because even if he had managed to avoid the juicy fruits there was nothing he could do to escape the ones cut on Rapunzel's behalf. Meanwhile, Jack looked like he was part of a shish-ka-bob.

The cannibals and they exchanged glances. Neither of them making the first move. That was until…

"AAAAAAAH" Captain Sparrow charged at the women, who calmly stepped aside, leaving Jack to his fate as he ran straight to a chasm.

Riku's eyes widened and Rapunzel ran after the pirate in an attempt to stop him by grasping the end of the pole. But it was a lost cause by now.

Having bent more than advised, the front end of the pole on Jack's back got stuck in a pile of rocks right at the edge, his previous force lifting his whole body.

This allowed to those present to be witnesses of one of the master minds behind many wonders: Physics.

Rapunzel and Riku watched petrified as Jack Sparrow vaulted across the chasm, performing two clean front flips in the air without meaning to, barely landing on the other edge safely on his feet.

The native women were unimpressed.

Feeling cold sweat on her palms, Rapunzel scoffed nervously, slowly beginning to giggle the stress away, relieved to see Jack Sparrow was safe. Not fully believing what just had happened himself, Mr. Physics straightened, relived and strangely proud.

That was his mistake.

The fruit slid down, putting weight on the one end over the chasm. As expected, gravity did its job, sending him backwards. He screamed.

Riku performed several spells with his Keyblade as Jack Sparrow fell into the chasm, his body already going through a rope bridge below. Frustration built, as his attempts proved to be completely useless from that distance. Right before Rapunzel leashed out her hair to the pirate, his pole caught between the two walls of the chasm, the rope untangling, only to leave him hanging upside-down from one foot.

At that moment, the native women walked off, disinterested.

"Hold on!" Rapunzel called out to him, heart pounding, preparing her hair once more.

"Hey, Sparrow, hang in there!" Riku said with a smirk, only to be elbowed by Rapunzel.

"Bugger" Sparrow mumbled and saw a flash of gold going straight his way.

Physics, however, had different plans.

The pole slipped loose, making Rapunzel's strand fail to wrap around Jack's leg, much to the blonde's horror. He fell and went through a rope bridge. Two. Three. Until there were too many to keep track of, each one slowing down his fall. Riku watched in absolute shock as Jack landed on his back on the grass. Rapunzel couldn't help to wince as the pole came down at him, spearing in the ground near his head, the fruits tumbling down all around him afterwards.

Had the man done something either terrible or extremely good in some past life to deserve his luck, would forever remain a mystery.

"We should go get him" Riku looked down at him, his eyes in an icy half-hooded gaze that only Sparrow seemed to be able to bring out of him.

* * *

The crew along Sora and Kairi burst through the jungle straight to the shore, with the Black Pearl ahead of them. A joyful sight, indeed. A different pirate was already on board and another preparing the ship to set sail, the tide proving to be in their favor. Sora recognized them to belong to Barbossa's crew, but didn't give it much thought.

And just like the Keybearers had expected, neither Riku nor Rapunzel were to be seen.

"I knew it" Kairi breathed in exasperation. "We have to find them"

"Boys, make ready for sail!" Gibbs called out and the pirates swarmed the ship.

Fortunately, Will had motives to support the Keybearers' cause.

"What about Jack? And Sora's and Kairi's friends are missing. I'm not leaving without them"

Gibbs pointed and the three of them turned around.

"_Hey!_"

A voice called out, and Jack Sparrow appeared at the distance running down the beach towards the crew and the ship, a frightened Rapunzel and an irritated Riku following right behind, both of them carrying long golden strands of hair.

Kairi sighed in relief, smiling at the sight of her friends. That had been lucky. Sora beamed, waving at them. "Hey guys, hurry up!"

They didn't respond and their faces remained the same. Kairi frowned slightly. Something wasn't right.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a hoard of cannibals appeared far down the beach close behind the three, spears and bows in hands.

"Time to go" Will said lightly and his words set everyone in motion.

"Cast off! Cast off!" Gibbs ordered, and the pirates got to work faster than they'd ever had in their lives, worry etched on their faces.

"Hurry up! Hurry up!" Kairi called out to her friends before turning to Sora. "We have to make it to the gummi ship. Mission abort"

"Thought that was settled a long time ago" He said before running and standing a few feet away from the still-possible-cannibal-dinner, a.k.a. his friends, his keyblade materializing in his hands.

"Confuse!" The magic didn't take long to do its' work.

The wild crowd came to a halt, making some of the cannibals trip with each other along the way, rage suddenly replaced by questioning and intriguing looks. Their focus was changed from Jack Sparrow to their own tribe, as if they were seeing each other for the first time, all interest in running and chasing completely lost.

Riku and Rapunzel almost caught up with him.

Sora motioned for them to keep running. "C'mon! That won't last long. Go! Go! GO!"

"You and Kairi get in the ship!" Riku commanded.

"What are you talking about?! We need to find the gummi ship!" Sora exclaimed stabbing a thumb to the other side of the shore.

"JUST DO IT!"

His face must have looked quite desperate, because in spite of having doubts, Kairi did as told and Sora had no choice but to trust his friend. Indignant voices began sounding in the distance. The spell was losing its effect.

Rapunzel and Riku ran to the ship, where Sora was waiting to help them up. The Black Pearl was beginning to set sail.

"C'mon guys! COME OOON!" They could hear the anguish in Kairi's voice as she called out to them from the rail.

The cannibals came after them but it was already too late. Sora reached out and helped Rapunzel up, hair and everything, and Riku came last. The blonde dropped to her knees, panting. Between breaths, he asked her if she was okay, but could never listen to her response as Sparrow started to them with a lazy smirk.

"Welcome onboard"

* * *

After making sure their friends weren't hurt, Kairi and Sora were quick to ask why they'd just abandoned their only way out of this world. Going back to Radiant Garden was a problem now. There was no possible way they'd be back at Merlin's by the morning. Riku and Rapunzel tensed and shifted uncomfortably, exchanging worried glances. They knew from the start it wasn't going to be easy but their friends deserved to know, so it was story time.

When Rapunzel, Riku and Sparrow were running through the jungle away from the cannibals and towards the Black Pearl, they came across something they certainly weren't expecting to find. Rapunzel stopped dead in her tracks and Riku asked what was wrong, desperation in his voice, not understanding why on Earth she would stop at a time like that.

Rapunzel pointed ahead, her expression turning into a horrified one. Riku looked in such direction, preparing himself for the worst.

But there was no way they could've been ready for what he saw.

The gummi ship came into view.

Or more like fragments of it.

Thick pieces of glass were spread across the sand, reflecting sunrays in every direction. The cockpit had been forced open and was completely empty, all seats and levers gone, except for the shattered buttons and lights, and some fragments of wires that still sparked with electricity. A weak trace of smoke kept coming from the propellers. Jagged bits of glass at the edges was all that was left of the viewport and numerous small metallic parts and broken bulbs were half buried in the shore, some of them having already been pulled by the waves. There was a big trace on the sand that indicated there had been an attempt to drag the whole ship deeper into the jungle, but obviously failed.

The view alone was shocking. Even for Rapunzel who'd traveled only twice in Sora's gummi ship, the whole scene was heartbreaking.

Of course, the hardest part was explaining the whole thing to Sora…

Surprisingly, he took it better than expected. Sure, they omitted unnecessary details, but the explanation had been enough to get a clear mental picture. He went quiet for a while. His friends were quick to comfort him even though they were still shocked as well, but this barely lasted since Will and Jack were having a chat that couldn't be ignored.

Turner stubbornly insisted on Sparrow handing him the compass in order to save Elizabeth, to which he refused, and soon enough Sora, Kairi and Rapunzel were all about helping this cause, easily pushing their world-traveling worries aside for the moment. As expected, Jack had a counterproposal. Riku and Will watched unimpressed, certain that he was just talking his way of this as he usually did, but then the pirate took out a sheet of paper.

His so called master plan consisted on the drawing of a simple but unusual kind of key. According to him, this special key belonged to Davy Jones' and would solve all of their problems. The saving-Elizabeth part at least. Riku mentally logged Sparrow's odd demeanor –odder than usual- at the mention of Davy Jones' name. The captain of the Black Pearl shot a quick glance to Mr. Gibbs. Riku also logged that.

By the time he was done explaining Will looked satisfied, Sora was on save-a-friend mode and Kairi and Rapunzel joined him. Of course Riku wanted to help Elizabeth too, but his thoughts refused to leave his mind…

What was Sparrow up to?

And how the heck would they leave this world?

* * *

Since the location of Davy Jones remained a mystery, they made another stop first.

The world travelers, Will and Mr. Gibbs found themselves in longboat, beginning their way up a quiet river. Mist came from the twisted roots on the edges of the swampy area. Little sunlight made it through the thick jungle. The whole crew was divided in other longboats, Sparrow and two others taking the one in the lead position ahead of Gibbs' boat.

Will turned to Mr. Gibbs. "Why is Jack afraid of the open ocean?"

Riku squinted. A pirate afraid of the open ocean?

"Well, if you believe such things, there's a beast does the bidding of Davy Jones. A fearsome creature with giant tentacles that suction your face clean off." Gibbs made a claw with his hand and Rapunzel felt herself slouch. "And drag an entire ship past the crushing darkness." He paused, gazing at everyone with intense eyes. His voice grew darker and lower. "The Kraken"

At the mention of the word, everyone exchanged shocked looks. Gibbs continued, "They say the stench of its breath is like - oooh!" He shivered. Rapunzel slouched further. Unknown to her, Riku noticed. "Imagine: The last thing you know on God's green earth is the roar of the Kraken, and the reeking odor of a thousand rotting corpses."

By the time he was done speaking, Sora looked scared but was clearly enjoying the whole thing since he loved horror stories and Mr. Gibbs was his favorite story-teller. Kairi was holding onto his arm and Rapunzel was hugging her knees. Riku shot her a quick sideways glance.

"If you believe such things" The silverette shrugged, his voice flat. Rapunzel looked up at him but he pretended not to notice. Gibbs broke into a hearty light grin as if he'd just been discussing what he'd like for lunch. "Aye, mate."

"And the key will spare him that?" Will lifted his eyebrows.

"Now that's the very question Jack wants answered. Bad enough even to go visit... _Her"_


	12. Chapter 12

Nerves. Excitement. Fear. Anxiety.

That was the mix of emotions in Rapunzel after Gibbs had so mysteriously said '_her_.' But, much to her relief, it turned out she'd just been stressing over nothing.

Or so she thought.

Apparently the mysterious woman's name was Tia Dalma and she was a _mystic_ –Gibbs words-, but a very nice one in Rapunzel's opinion. This only left her wondering what the previous fuzz was all about. Although Tia Dalma's personality and decorating style were quite… _unique_, she had been nothing but very welcoming from the beginning and to say her shack was intriguing was an understatement.

In contrast to the surrounding gloomy forest, the hut glowed thanks to dozens of candles of every size. Even Rapunzel, who had made plenty of candles in her life, had never seen so many. It was extravagant, each log and plank from an entirely different size and kind of wood, making the walls and the roof completely irregular. The insides were teeming with a clutter of objects like jars of herbs and spices, caged animals, bones and dried plants, reminding the soon-to-be-Hogwarts-students of Diagon Alley.

In the while they'd been there, Sora almost knocked his head against a jar full of eyeballs –while staring at Kairi, Rapunzel noticed- which only gave Riku a pretext to drop a little his perpetual alertness and laugh at the expense of his best friend. The blonde would be lying if she said she didn't join the Keyblade Master in such task.

Sparrow did most of the talking, which basically consisted in asking Tia Dalma for help, but Riku noticed the mystic piqued a special interest in two people.

"You know I demand payment" The Voodoo Queen snapped at Jack after she was done with her detailed examination of Will Turner's face and arms.

As soon as the captain of the Black Pearl opened his mouth, she was quick to lift a finger.

Then pointed at Rapunzel.

"Da hair of da girl with a touch of destiny."

Confusion and shock struck the crew and the light protectors' features. Horror distorted Rapunzel's face.

"What?! N-no, you can't" She felt herself take a step back. Riku quickly hid her behind him, Sora following his lead. They were about to begin a staring-contest with Tia but Kairi was the one to make the first move.

Sora and Riku watched with caution as their childhood friend stood in front of the woman. They didn't want any trouble, but Rapunzel was one of them now. They'd protect her. And if someone dared to mess with Kairi, well… that was self-explanatory. "My apologies, Tia Dalma." The Princess of Heart said in a respectful but firm voice, like the innate diplomat she was. Having the mayor as her adoptive father sure had an impact in her life. "But I'm afraid it'll have to be a different payment." She shot a glance at Jack. "Right, Captain?"

Sparrow blinked twice, snapping out of his thoughts, but was interrupted before he could speak once again by Tia Dalma's booming laughter. Riku's eyes narrowed and he felt his muscles tense. The woman's unpredictability had the power to unnerve anyone around her.

"The truth is I do not wish anything you possess." She finally composed herself enough to talk. "Dat be just a taste of my funny nature… _Rapunzellll_." Dragging her name, she let out a few more mischievous chuckles and locked her dark brown eyes with Rapunzel's forest green ones. The blonde tried to recall if she'd even told Tia Dalma her name. "_Magic_… magic have funny nature too. Do you not agree?" The Voodoo Queen's smirk grew wider and the young woman's heart skipped a beat.

No way she knew. She couldn't possibly. No way her secret was out even in other worlds. "I wouldn't know." Rapunzel mumbled, making a huge effort to keep the tremor out of her voice. She failed.

"Magic. Funny. Aye. Understood." Jack cleared his throat as his eyes darted from Rapunzel to Tia Dalma, his face freely expressing how bored he felt. "I brought payment." He grinned broadly. It was no secret how much he wanted his own business solved.

Tia Dalma let out a disappointed sigh, as if the afternoon entertainment was over. And with that, all tension was gone.

* * *

Sparrow offered Jack The Monkey as payment. Rapunzel protested, but much to her relief, Tia Dalma let him out of the cage and he seemed happy enough. Then it was Gibbs' turn to protest as it had taken hours to catch him.

Soon they learned Sparrow was after some key that could open a mysterious chest that belonged to Davy Jones', the same man that had just sent the Kraken to look for him.

Riku couldn't believe the extraordinary ability of this pirate to get in trouble. It was even worse than Sora's. He glanced down at Rapunzel. After what happened with Tia she was deep in thought, a far-off look in her eyes. It didn't matter he was right beside her, she was completely absent, miles away. But what truly ate his insides away was how troubled she looked.

Why would Tia Dalma ask Rapunzel about magic? The first thing that came to mind was Hogwarts. She couldn't know they were going there, but considering the odd but strong power she irradiated, it was a possibility. But why would she address Rapunzel only? Unless… it wasn't about Hogwarts… But that made no sense…

"It seems we have a need to find the Flying Dutchman-" Riku heard Turner say only for Tia Dalma to hold her hands up dramatically.

"SHHHHHH!"

Everyone looked around as silence weighed heavily in the hut. The hands of the pirate crew hovered over the hilts of their swords.

Riku could feel it. That familiar, ominous shiver crawling up his skin.

Darkness.

"We have visitors." Tia Dalma smirked and in that moment, the door was kicked open.

Swords and Keyblades were out. Pintel who was closest to the door, had a dagger to the stranger's throat.

"_Whoa, whoa, _c'mon man, gimme a break!" A very familiar redhead complained wearily, holding his hands up and staying still, not removing his eyes from the dagger.

"Lea?!" The light protectors said in unison before they ran up to him, making an annoyed Pintel take a step back and allowing the pirates to relax their too tense muscles.

"You're here!" Rapunzel threw her arms around him, making Lea freeze for a split second. Oblivious to his reaction, she stepped back to observe his features in search for any signs that told her how he'd been in the last hours after the dementor incident. His eyes looked slightly glassy, but other than that, he seemed his usual cocky, lighthearted self. "How- how did you find us?"

He cleared his throat, regaining his composure as Kairi too hugged him. "You know… I'll always be there to bring my friends back." He winked at the blonde and once Kairi released him, Sora and Riku welcomed him as well, punching him lightly in the arm and patting him on the back.

"We missed you, bud!"

"Glad you came to join the party." Riku said and Lea smirked.

"Not that I got an invite, but y'know me. Never pass up an opportunity to have fun."

Something big and black hurtled through the open door, screeching as it slammed into a pirate.

The crew had their weapons out and more Heartless started appearing.

"Leave!" Tia motioned at Riku.

"What?! We can't leave you! Not with so many Heartless here!" Kairi groaned, her Keyblade materializing right on time to hit a Soldier, while Riku made a Shadow vanish. But this time they weren't only after Rapunzel.

They wanted Sparrow too.

"Leave or they take blond girl!" Tia's voice boomed as she took several crab shells between her cupped hands and closes her eyes. "NOW!"

"No! I can fight! I'll give it my all!" Rapunzel insisted

Riku cursed under his breath. His job was to protect other worlds and escaping certainly wasn't it. But he'd never let anything happen to Rapunzel.

"Leave! We've got this!" Will Turner assured them.

Sora and Riku nodded. "Lea!"

"Already ahead of you. Follow me!" He stood by the door, a frustrated Rapunzel behind his back. "Too risky, Punz. And Yen Sid's orders."

As if it would bring her any answers, Rapunzel shot one last glance at Tia.

Only to realize she shouldn't have.

The mystic took a strand of her own hair, pretending to cut it with two fingers. Her face in mock panic before smirking.

Kairi snapped her out of her shock, pulling her wrist and sprinting as fast as they could, in the middle of pirates murdering Heartless.

"We'll come back, Will! We're gonna save Elizabeth, I promise!" Sora shouted receiving a nod in reply, following after his friends.

"I'm so sorry Will! I'll help you find Elizabeth too!"

"We'll be fine! You be safe, Rapunzel!"

She clenched her jaw. Fine. She was no fighter. She hated violence to be honest. But that didn't mean she had to be useless.

"Hey, Heartless!" She stopped half way. "I'm here! LOOK!" Shouting and jumping, the blonde waved her arms, before storming out of the shack for her life, attracting the whole army of Heartless, even those who were previously after Jack.

"Dammit, Blondie, what the-?!" Lea burned four of Heartless going after his friend, as everyone ran for it, water splashing with every step they took in the middle of the river. The others were as shocked as Lea, dealing with double the Heartless in the middle of the escape. Most to Riku's confusion, Rapunzel suddenly burst out chuckling.

"Quick!" Lea kept shooting flames at the monsters. "Sorry about the spot, but the valet parking of this swamp isn't available at the time."

"Why did you bring MY ship and not yours?" Riku opened the gate, allowing everyone to access it, making sure the chuckling Rapunzel was the first to get on board.

"Aw, gimme a break. Thought you'd miss it so I did you a favor." Lea was quick to shut the ship behind him, and had his friends not been in such a rush, he would've made them laugh. "Geesh, you millennials are so unappreciative, sometimes".

"Shut up! You're a millennial too!" Sora replied, as Riku lit the engine. They were in space in a matter of instants.

"That was… wow." Rapunzel breathed, both because of running and laughing so hard. "What's a millennial?"

"Rapunzel," Riku began, realizing how stressful those last minutes had actually been for him. "What you did back there, attracting all the Heartless, can never-"

"That's right! You completed your first mission!". Catching her breath too, Kairi hung her arm around her newest friend's shoulders, catching the attention of everyone.

It took Rapunzel a few moments to snap out of her daze, Tia's gesture still coming back to her brain. "I… did. Wait, I actually… did it, right? Haha! I DID IT! I completed my first mission!" Realization slowly dawned on Rapunzel, excitement taking all over her features, and soon all the tension was gone. Even against his own will, her enthusiasm was all Riku needed to stop himself from starting to bicker to Lea about borrowing his gummi ship and insist Rapunzel on her safety.

Lea and Sora began congratulating her, and no matter how much of a lecture he still wanted to give her for how reckless she'd been, in truth, he knew it had been a very strategic move. She'd protected them by giving them advantage on the battle and a chance to escape. Sure, pirates are perfectly capable of fending for themselves, but having every Heartless going against Sparrow… chances were pretty dim for him not to turn into a Heartless.

Now THAT would have been a disaster.

Besides, Kairi was right. They did complete the mission. Now they knew the Heartless were after Rapunzel in every world.

Giving up, he huffed humorously. "Well done, light protector." Riku turned to meet her gaze.

Her enthusiasm stopped a bit, replaced by a giggle. Riku couldn't help but focus on her flushed cheeks, and long messy braid. "Thank you. I told you I could handle myself." She tried to be cool but giggled some more.

For a reason, he felt he needed to appear more manly. What was with him?

"Riku, eyes on the road!" Sora shouted, startling the Keyblade Master, even though there was just space ahead. Of course, who could say serious after that? Riku felt blood rushing to his cheeks, before punching Sora in the arm. He never gets embarrassed, not like this, what the heck?

"HAHAH-Ow!" Caressing his arm, Sora eyed Riku up and down carefully.

"Hey, why are your clothes so tattered?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally played KH3! Loved it!!! Especially the Kingdom of Corona

Rapunzel stared up at the stars from the window of Yen Sid’s tower, resisting the urge of climbing up to the roof again. What. A. Day. If her mother heard of all of her adventures, she would be so, so dead.

“Hey.”

She turned around only to find Kairi walking to her. The blonde smiled back. “Hey”

The redhead stood next to her, looking far into the endless stars. “Things went so different from planned, huh?” She giggled a little.

“I know.” Rapunzel sighed. “Did Yen Sid say anything else?”

“He’s still talking to the others, but basically we just have to focus on the mission to find out more things. Not much left to do other than that.” Kairi looked at her and tilted her head. “You sound worried. Thought you were happy about your first mission. Are you okay?”

Rapunzel put a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yes, of course, I’m fine. It’s just… well, maybe I **am** a little worried. I do believe Sora and the rest, if we’re together we can accomplish anything, but...”

“I know what you mean.” Kairi breathed. “Tomorrow’s the big day in that new world, we don’t know what’s going on with you and the Heartless, what’s wrong with the worlds, and we couldn’t help Elizabeth nor Will, but I’ve been thinking and… it’s completely useless to worry. It’s not helpful at all! My heart tells me we’ll find a way if we keep moving forward together. There’s always a way. I might as well enjoy my time with all of you, while that happens.”

Rapunzel’s lips curved upwards. “You’re right. Five heads together have to be able to come up with something useful. Six, counting Yen Sid.”

“Well said!” Kairi grinned and Rapunzel’s smile faltered. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

Rapunzel hid her lips “I… I still feel guilty about what happened at the island. With Riku and the monkey.”

Kairi laughed heartily. “That made my day. Honestly.” She said stifling her laugh, failing a couple of times but trying to regain her composure. “Riku’s still mad at Sora for making way too much fun of him.” Seeing Rapunzel’s face, she explained. “Don’t worry, this happens all the time, it’s not real anger.” She giggled some more. “But, c’mon! I mean, how were we supposed not to laugh at that?”

“Well… I guess it is kind of funny.” Rapunzel chuckled.

“Of course it is!”

They both began laughing together and Rapunzel felt whatever worries she still had melt away. Then a voice interrupted them.

“I’m glad you enjoy other people’s disgraces.”

Rapunzel stopped laughing and Kairi smiled sheepishly.

“Oh, c’mon. We’re just having a little fun here. We had a tough day. Lighten up, Riku!” Kairi lightly elbowed him twice, earning a chuckle from Rapunzel.

“Hm, easy for you two to say.”

“Sorry. Couldn’t help it” Rapunzel lifted her shoulders and rubbed her arm, smiling apologetically.

“Nah, I think I’m over it.” He shrugged. “After having Sora and Lea rubbing it to my face all day I don’t think what you say bothers me anymore”

“Heh heh, speaking of, where are they?” Kairi asked

“Doing what they’re best at.”

“So sleeping, huh? After today, I feel like giving them some competition.” Kairi said, with a yawn. “Good night, guys.”

“Good night, Kairi.” Rapunzel smiled

“Night. Remember this is your last chance to get comfy before we’re in for a serious work.” 

“I know, I know” She held up a hand dismissively to Riku, before dragging her feet out of the room.

Riku turned to the blonde, taking the redhead’s place. “So? Had a good time making fun of me too?”

Rapunzel repressed a chortle. “Hey, I didn’t mean to, really, it just… happened?” She said it with a smile that betrayed her words.

“Yeah, right.” Riku smirked. “In that case, I just happen to laugh at how you looked bathed in fruit juice.”

“Hah!” She yanked her head back. “You had way more juice on you than I had! And… and…” Rapunzel couldn’t speak anymore as laughter got in the way, caused by the mental picture of Riku in his ragged attire, covered in sticky fruit juice.

“You’re picturing me aren’t you?” This only caused Rapunzel to laugh even more. Riku felt his own lips struggling to curve upwards. He was about to say something but Rapunzel cut him off.

“You got attacked by a monkey… and you were the most affected victim of a fruit war… in the same day.” Rapunzel failed to stifle her giggles.

He crossed his arms in mock offense, the hint of a smirk in his lips. _So she’s making fun of me openly now, huh?_ “And whose fault is that?”

Rapunzel squealed in laughter, holding her stomach and Riku couldn’t help but join her as they went through their long crazy day. Going into the magical world for the first time, getting their wands, their encounter with Jack the Monkey, the fruit war and each other’s messy and sticky looks, the cannibals, Sparrow’s lucky vaulting across the chasm and their ridiculously terrified faces as a response, how he looked with the pole on his back and the fruits stung in it, and his conveniently bridge-breaking landing. And of course, the reckless escape in the swamp with Lea. At the time they had been too afraid of Sparrow’s sudden decisions, the cannibals’ possible actions, and obviously, the Heartless. But now that danger was gone and with stress accumulated, it was too ridiculous for it not to be funny and laugh it all away.

They both looked up to the starry sky.

She wiped a tear from her eye. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but today…” Rapunzel grinned widely, “it was fun.”

Face flushed and stomach aching from laughing so much, Riku chuckled, regaining his composure as well. “I almost feel like denying that.” _Almost._

The moment passed, both falling into comfortable silence. As serious as Riku was, it was difficult not to feel safe and comfortable around him, in Rapunzel’s opinion. There was more to him than he allowed everyone to see, and it was nice to see him so relaxed. To see him laugh. It suited him.

But there was more in the blonde’s mind for now.

“Riku, are you… nervous?” She met his gaze. “I know I should sleep, but… I can’t top thinking about, well… everything?” She let out a sigh. “Pascal used to be the one who comforted me and helped me feel better. Can’t help but wish he’s okay. I keep thinking I want to tell him everything I’ve done.”

Riku ignored the strange sensation those last comments caused in him. He hated the idea of losing a person, a friend. He could empathize with that feeling a little too well, and seeing it in Rapunzel… goodness, she didn’t deserve it. No one did, actually. Much less her. But then there was this other feeling, that made him wonder what this Pascal guy must be like to be so special to Rapunzel. 

“Honestly?” He turned to face her again. “Very nervous.” His smile matched his soft tone. “Wanna hear another story? On the roof?”

He found himself genuinely surprised at his own unusual offer. Where did that come from? Did he actually offer to do that? Him, Mr. Responsibility? They needed to rest, to be on their sharpest state for whatever presented itself for their big adventure. This wasn’t rational. Maybe a quick story would do, but if they went to the roof, it wouldn’t be a short while.

But then the blonde’s broad grin was all he needed to make all the weirdness go away.

* * *

“Platform... uh, 9 ¾?”

“Sora, that makes zero sense. If you can’t read numbers just tell us, ‘kay? No shame” Lea laughed, as the light bearers walked around the train station, with rolling suitcases in their hands.

“No! I’m serious, look! Look!” Shoving the paper in Lea’s face, Sora frowned as Lea protested and snatched the paper from his hand.

“Man, you’re right, what the…?” Puzzled, he showed the paper to Riku, Kairi and Rapunzel. If the blonde was honest, she was a little distracted observing the station and the people moving around. It reminded her slightly of Montresor, but a lot less eccentric. It was charming in its own way.

“Told ya.” Sora crossed his arms.

“That’s so weird.” Kairi and the others glanced around for a sign, but nothing. Three of them had been to Twilight Town, and taken the train before, they weren’t new to the process, but Platform 9 ¾? Sure, they’d been warned the entrance to a secret magical world wouldn’t be in plain sight, but this went against any logic.

“Maybe it’s a code?” Riku suggested, eyes glued to the map.

It was until Rapunzel spotted some unusually dressed kids with their parents, and they caught the word “Hogwarts” in the conversation.

They followed them discreetly, relieved to have found their way, until the older boy, against any better judgement, ran head-first against the brick barrier between platforms 9 and 10.

Just to disappear.

Pleased and proud, the parents walked away.

Rapunzel took a step back in shock, her expression mirrored by all her friends, who exchanged glances after several moments of vacantly staring at were the boy had been seconds ago.

“HAHAH! I’ll go first!” Sora volunteered, breaking the silence, and with that, excitement was quick to spread. Lea and Rapunzel asked to go after him in unison, her sudden boldness making Riku smile. Even if she didn’t insist, Lea was quick to kindly let her go first.

After crossing the wall, none of them had the time to ponder on the strange logic of this world nor to be relieved at how they were still perfectly safe, as excitement grew even more at the sight of a beautiful steam, scarlet train.

The Hogwarts Express.

Rapunzel, Kairi and Sora exchanged eager expressions, pointing at everything around them, until Lea interrupted. It wasn’t easy, but Rapunzel managed to hold back from squealing and jumping out of excitement. “Guys, I love this too, but point number one, we’re under cover, so we’re supposed to be familiarized with all this, remember? And two, if we don’t board right now-”

No more encouragement was needed.

As if point number one had never been mentioned, they quickly found an empty compartment, Sora, Kairi and Rapunzel unable to unglue their faces from the window, commenting on every little detail they glimpsed. Giving up, Lea happily joined them.

Riku kept reading a book of magic, not wanting to blow up his own cover. The most important things to him being not lowering his guard, have better ways to protect those he cared about, and also keeping in mind that a better understanding of the world could lead to the dark forces they were seeking. _Never forget the mission._

“Hey.”

Without moving his head, Riku lifted his gaze to meet Lea’s deadpan expression. “We’ll be fine, y’know that, right?”

He sighed, lowering his book and leaning back on the seat. “It’s not just Xehanort that’s there. He’s got an ally. A powerful one.”

Lea moved his fingers as if it were the mouth of a puppet. “Blah, blah, blah, dangerous, blah, blah blah. C’mon man, we’re all together this time, we can manage. Have some fun instead, now that we still can. I dunno, entertain me or something.”

_Oh, he wants to be entertained?_ “Fine.” Riku half smirked, snapping the book shut. “Sora.”

“Shhh, wait a sec, Riku. Whoa, this is amazing!” The Keyblade bearer remained observing the station, as the train hadn’t departed yet, with Kairi and Rapunzel.

“Too bad. And here I was thinking this could be a magnificent time to show poor, bored Lea your road trip games.”

Sora snapped his head, as if in a horror movie. In his mind Riku pictured him with red eyes. “Oh! That’s right! He and Donald hate them for some reason, but I know you’ll love ‘em Lea! Goofy does. Kairi, Rapunzel, you can play too!”

Catching the girls’ attention, Sora continued to explain in detail all the rules, unable to hide his hype. Lea shot Riku a sideways glare, before mouthing him a very sincere _You’re dead, _allowing a very amused silverette to peacefully go back to his book.

“Riku, what are you doing?” Sora lifted an eyebrow. “This game is best played with five players, I thought you’d remember. You’re playing too.”

Riku’s gaze widened, before glaring at Lea who silently mocked him. It was clear he hadn’t thought this through.

_Shit._

* * *

After a long while, the road trip game was over, Lea pretending to be bored, but it was painfully obvious to everyone how much fun he’d had. He won almost every single round.

“We’re supposed to change into our uniforms.” Kairi reminded them, snickering at Sora’s slight snores, exhausted after playing so much. If they were supposed to blend in, it was all ruined now.

“Can’t wait!” Rapunzel beamed, before letting out a sigh. “I’ll go, then.”

Riku and Lea agreed, changing the subject. As Rapunzel and Kairi picked up their things to go get changed, it was impossible not to notice the sudden drop of temperature.

“Wait.” Riku was quick to grab Rapunzel’s forearm, just in time for her not to fall as the train came to a halt, right in middle of the tracks.

Low whispers and gasps were heard, letting the world travelers know this was far from normal. Lea was quick to close the compartment and Kairi woke Sora up.

“What’s going on?” Sitting beside Riku and hugging herself to avoid getting colder, Rapunzel whispered.

“Darkness.” Riku replied, staying as still as he could.

“It’s them. Those… things.” Lea spoke, failing to hide the terror in his eyes. Rapunzel placed a hand on his shoulder. Random voices from the different compartments of the train followed.

“Is it dementors?”

“Be quiet!”

“What if it’s… you-know-who?”

“Dementors? Again?!”

“We should go and do something.” Drawing out his wand, Sora stood, opening the compartment slightly, much to everyone’s distress. Yet they knew he was right, that’s why they were there in the first place.

“Right behind you.” Riku followed his lead. “You guys, stay.” Rapunzel and Kairi nodded, understanding the hidden meaning of his words, which was to _take care of Lea._

Right before they were able to go out, a blinding light came out a distant compartment and a group of students burst out laughing.

“You’re so stupid, Potter. I can’t believe you fell for that cheap trick!”

“You’re a git, Malfoy!”

More laughs followed, from the students around, everyone relaxing realizing there was no real danger. It didn’t take long for professors to intervene.

“Just a prank? Come on, and I thought we’d finally get some action.” Exhaling, Sora let himself plop down on the seat. Unlike Riku, who remained where he stood.

“I know what I felt”. Lea muttered, loud enough for his friends to hear.

“Me too.” Rapunzel added and Riku was about to close the compartment, right when a teacher led a small group of students down the corridor, lecturing them on the prank. For a second, Riku exchanged glances with a blond one, who seemed around his age, and who kept a cruel smirk on his face. He didn’t like his presence one bit.

“I think it’s safe to say we all did.” Kairi added, telling she wasn’t wrong by everyone’s expressions. Even Rapunzel, who had no experience in matters of Light and Darkness, could tell something real was happening.

But it was gone now.

“Yen Sid and Dumbledore were right. Someone else is behind this. It didn’t feel like Heartless.” Sora sank further in the seat, while Rapunzel went deep in thought.

“What if it’s another student?”

Everyone turned to eye the blonde. That hadn’t crossed their minds before. Lea motioned for her to continue.

“If we are hiding among students,” she explained further, “what guarantees they can’t either? What if they’re hiding in plain sight, like that platform to board the train.”

Sora sat straight. “A student that serves darkness? That’d be awful. But we’d sense their dark presence, wouldn’t we?”

“Maybe in some other world, but here…” Riku sat next to Rapunzel, trailing off.

“Anything’s possible in this world. Our senses can be tricked.” Kairi finished his sentence. “Rapunzel’s right.”

“Punz, I’d say you were born for this. You’re a natural.” Lea winked at her and she grinned. Then her uniform came back to mind, making her grab her things. Riku stood in front of the sliding door.

“I’ll be quick, I promise.” Rapunzel smiled at Riku, who eyed her cautiously. What made her keep getting more and more persuasive?

“Please, we’ll be fine.” Kairi interrupted him before he could speak. “Nothing else is gonna happen, they’d risk blowing their cover.”

Riku’s muscles relaxed. Kairi was right. Was he always this protective or what was with him?

He gulped, suddenly taking note of how close Rapunzel was. Blushing, he simply nodded moving out of the way.

Chatting their worries away, the girls left the compartment, leaving the door behind them, her voices cheerful and friendly, like nothing was wrong.

Well, maybe Riku could relax now, even if only for a bit.

“Guys. I have somethin’ to tell ya.” Lea leaned forward, as soon as Riku sat down, resting his elbows on his knees and lowering his voice, immediately catching the boys’ attention. “Didn’t really wanna say it, but the girls are gone and you’re my friends now, so I figured I can trust you, so…”

“What is it?” Riku caught himself very intrigued. Lea did this every now and then, only to say something stupid, like, _I kicked your ass at Mario Kart, _or something of the sort_. _What was weird is how nervous he actually seemed this time.

“Spill the beans already!” Sora pressed on, in a hushed tone, for once.

“Fine, I’ll just say it.” He shrugged, gazing down, before lifting his head. “I’m gonna ask Rapunzel out.”

Sora was the first to react, jumping to close the door, mouthing a huge “_WHAT_” with crazy hand motions.

Riku remained on his seat, frozen. Barely able to blink. “For real?” He asked flatly, no judgement included in his tone.

Smirking Lea continued, “Yup, for real. Now, I’m only saying this, ‘cause I know you guys too. Sora, you’re already in love, so you’re outta this, but, you, my friend,” He held Riku’s gaze, “whoever she chooses, I won’t mind. I’ll always be your pal. But I’m letting you know I’m gonna make a move.”

“What are you talkin’ ‘bout?” Riku frowned, leaning backwards, heat rising to his face and forcing himself to ignore the way his stomach twisted at Lea’s words, whenever he sensed a challenge.

And whenever he felt like accepting it.

“Don’t go saying I’m in love like t-that!” Sora complained, trying to peek, without opening the compartment’s door. “What if she hears you?”

“So, if I ask her out, you don’t mind?” Lea ignored Sora.

“Please, you’re my friend.” Uncomfortable, Riku averted his gaze, as Rapunzel’s smile replayed in his head. Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he crossed his arms. “I don’t have time for that.”

Sora pursed his lips and Lea snorted, shaking his head. “If you change your mind, I won’t hold it against you. Ahh, she’s gorgeous.”

Riku leaned back on the seat, closing his eyes, pretending to doze off as his two friends continued to give love advice to each other.

_I know that._ He replied to Lea in his mind.


End file.
